The Perfect Dream
by vanity is my name
Summary: Andrea Valeria goes to sleep in modern 2004 America but wakes up in Romania in 1891! This is just the first in a series of strange yet amazing events involving several characters we all know and love. Complete! sob
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: **This story is actually not mine at all (waaaayy to many brilliant people words). I've decided to be the best friend thatI supposeI should be and post this for my best friend (Gem) who is indeed the author of the story. So, in conclusion, she owns next to none of this andI actually own less (if that's possible). I will forward your reviews (she also accepts flames) to her for you. You better review. But I'm not threatening you! Why would I do that? Oh, by the way, I do show up in this story a little. Instead of me writing author's notes (b/c I am, in fact, not the author) I will add my comments as Pixie's notes.(Yes, Gem. With an apostrophe), Just for your info, shes reading this over my shoulder cringing at my minor spelling and grammatical errors.

**The Perfect Dream**

"Where am I?" I wondered out loud. My whole body ached. "Ugh." I groaned and sat up. I shook my head to try and clear my vision, and my numerous dark brunette curls bounced everywhere. Then I stood and looked around. It looked as though I was right outside a small town in some mountain range. By the looks of the people around, I was stuck somewhere in the Dark Ages. I looked down and gasped. Was I dreaming? My clothes had changed. Instead of the pajamas I had put on last night before bed, I was wearing slim black pants, a blouse, and a corset-like thing. I had no clue what had happened to me, where I was, or what to do. Because I had no better option, I decided to ask someone in town where this place was. If this was a dream, I'd wake up soon enough.

I walked over to a peasant woman and asked her where this town was and the year. She seemed very surprised when she saw me, but she replied that this village was in the mountains of Romania, and it was 1891. As the woman hurriedly walked away, I stood there in shock. Romania? 1891?! How could I wake up in Romania in 1891 when I went to sleep in America in 2004? However, before I could ponder how I got here, I noticed someone across the square turn and enter a nearby building. I caught just a glimpse of his face, but it was enough to send my mind reeling even more. I couldn't deny who it was, but I also couldn't fathom how that could be possible. There was only one way to get some answers, so I collected my scattered thoughts, excepted my situation, and followed the man inside.

I entered what appeared to be a cross between an inn and a pub. I quickly scanned the tables and found who I was looking for. I walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but um..... are you–" I didn't get the chance to finish. As I was speaking, he looked up and gasped, and his eyes widened.

"Anna?!" he said staring up at me incredulously. "Is it really you? But you're dead! How can this be?"

"Wait!" I said and sat down across from him at the table. Although I still had no idea what I was doing here, I had decided that it was better to stay calm. "My name isn't Anna," I replied to the man sitting across from me, "but, are you Van Helsing?"

"Yes, I am, but..." Van Helsing stopped confusedly, rubbed his eyes, and stared at me again. "Who _are_ you? You look exactly like–"

"Anna Valerious?" I asked.

"Yes! How did you know?"

"Well, I don't quite know what I'm doing here," I said, smiling faintly, "and I don't think you'll believe me if I tell you my story, but I guess I should probably start at the beginning. My name is Andrea (A/N: an-dray-ah, so you can pronounce it right) and I am from the 21st Century. I know that sounds strange and I don't know how I got here, so don't ask." Van Helsing stared at me. Then he opened his mouth.

"That, strange as it is, doesn't tell me why you know who I am and why you know about Anna."

"I know. I'm getting there. You see, in my time, a movie was just made. About when you, Anna, and Carl destroyed Dracula 3 years ago."

"How is that possible?" Van Helsing interrupted. "And what's a movie?"

"I don't know how it's possible." I said. "It doesn't make sense. The movie is just a fictional story. It's almost too much to believe...unless I'm dreaming."

"Dreaming? I know I'm not. This is real." Van Helsing said. "What's a movie?"

"A movie is like a photograph, but it moves. It's hard to explain."

Van Helsing blinked and shook his head. "So, wait, according to you, you're from the future, and a moving picture was made about me? Is that how you knew who I was?"

"Yes." I replied. "My friends all say Anna and I look a lot alike. But here's the weird part. In the movie, the characters were played by actors. People pretending to be someone from the movie. But you look just like the actor who played Van Helsing. That's how I recognized you. How can you be real, and look exactly like an actor from the future? The movie is just a made-up story. In my time, you don't really exist. This is so weird." I sat back in my chair and thought about what I had just said. I had often thought about how cool it would be if everything from the movie was real, but...

"This is way too much for me. Let's just stick to the basics. Forget actors and whatever else is so confusing and just tell me the easy stuff."

"None of this is easy to understand. I certainly don't. But, basically, I guess, I'm from the future, I look like Anna, I know all about what happened 3 years ago, and until 5 seconds ago I thought none of the movie was real. And it would be nice if I could get home. I think that's it."

Van Helsing nodded. "That I understood." Then he frowned. "Sort of. I think you should meet my friend Carl."

"I love Carl! He's just like me. I can't believe this is real. Where is Carl anyway?"

"In Rome, doing more research or whatever it is that he does. We should go pay him a visit."

"Why?" I asked. "Not that I don't want to; talking to Carl would be so cool!"

Van Helsing shook his head and looked at me strangely. "So we can figure out how you got here, why you are here, and how to get you home. If anyone will know, it's Carl."

"Oh, right. Of course, that makes sense. Wait, you actually believe me? Just like that?" I asked, as we stood up. Van Helsing studied me for a minute.

"Yes." he said, finally, "I do."

I felt perfectly comfortable around Van Helsing and my new surroundings. Van Helsing acted like it was perfectly normal to talk to someone who said they were from over a century in the future, and I guess I just adjusted quickly. I mean, how often had I imagined this? We went outside and Van Helsing grabbed two horses from the stable around back.

He turned and handed me one of the horse's reins. "You do know how to ride, right?"

I nodded and mounted the horse, but a new thought occurred to me. "Wait, we're riding all the way to Rome? On horses?"

"That was the plan. Until we get to the ocean. Then we'll take a ship." Van Helsing responded.

"But, don't we need food and something to sleep on and stuff? And how long will it take to get to Rome?"

"Relax. I have enough food for us and we can always get more. And I would say about a week."

"Only a week? Oh, are these Transylvanian horses?" Van Helsing nodded. "I knew it. Well, going with you seems much better than staying here, right?"

Van Helsing smiled. "Well, I don't think you'll find anyone else around here who will help you." he said as he kicked his horse into a gallop and took off down the path.

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Hi, this is Gem, the actual author, and I want to thank my best friend Pixie for posting this for me. (Pixie you rock!) So, yeah, this is the first chapter and I hope you liked it. More chappies will come soon (I hope) and I ask you to review please and thank you! Bye for now and much luff to any and all who might read this!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer/ AN:** I don't own Van Helsing or anything associated with it (I'm crying inside!); I don't even own this log in name....I'm Gem and this is my best friend vanity's log in cuz my parents are silly and won't let me get my own account (again, I'm crying inside!!). So, I just want to make it clear that vanity is my name did not write this, Gem did. Okay, now that I've cleared up any confusion, here's chapter 2! YAY! It took me forever to figure out how to get this uploaded.....excuse me if I like Word Perfect instead of Word, lol!

Thank you audrey and Christina Marquez for reviewing!!

**audrey:** Yeah, of course he'll be back! What kind of Van Helsing story wouldn't have Drac in it?! Seriously, I love Dracula! :)

**Christina Marquez: **You're right, it did just kind of jump into things, but it had to happen sometime! I'm glad you like Andrea.....she's a little bit like me, so I like her too, lol. Hope you enjoy this chappie as well. Did you get my Van Hunter review? I loved it....update girl!

And now...Chapter 2!

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Later, Van Helsing and I were sitting around the campfire where we had stopped for the night. We had finished eating, and I decided to ask him a few questions I had been thinking about. "Van Helsing," I began, and he looked at me, "how is it that you have time to take some woman that you have just met who says she's from the 21st Century all the way to Rome? Don't you have some evil being to destroy, or Dracula to vanquish or something like that?'

He smiled grimly at me. "You know, I'm not always out killing things. There are some times when I have nothing all that important to do. It just so happens that I'm not really busy right now, so, when you came along with your intriguing story I decided to help you, for lack of something better to do. If you don't want my help, by all means, say so. And don't mention Dracula. I think I've destroyed him, but he seems to have the nasty habit of not staying dead, if you know what I mean. So don't jinx me. The last thing I need is Dracula to deal with."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to.....and I _do_ want your help. Anyway, what's it like being the Left Hand of God? It sounds so dramatic."

"Can't really tell you. I mean, I don't really know. I can't remember my past and all I know is that I was taken in by this secret order within the Church and charged with the mission of destroying evil. So, that's what I do."

"Fair enough. Uh....Van Helsing?" He was just staring at me, holding his hat in his hands. "Hello?"

"Oh!" he blinked and shook his head. "I'm sorry. You just look so much like..." His voice trailed off as he looked at me again, and looked away.

"What was she like?" I asked quietly.

"I...I'd rather not talk about her." Van Helsing replied, and I could hear the pain in his voice.

"Oh, okay then. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to....." I sighed. "I seem to have a knack for upsetting you I guess." I said with a small smile. Van Helsing looked up and smiled sadly back. "Well, I'm tired. Where do we sleep?" I was eager to change the subject.

"You can sleep in my tent." Van Helsing replied, as he laid down and tried to get comfortable.

"What about you?"

"I'll sleep here."

"What?! Outside? That's ridiculous. I refuse to let the man going to all this trouble for me give up his own bed so I can sleep in it."

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine. Besides, I wasn't planing on an extra person. It's only a one-man tent. Would you like to sleep outside?" he asked wryly.

"Well....It wouldn't be my first choice, but I feel awful kicking you out of your own bed!"

"Relax, will you? You're not _kicking me out_, I......volunteered."

"Are you sure? I still feel bad."

"Don't worry. Just go to sleep. Good Lord, I don't think I've ever known anyone so.......so.......I don't even know what. I'll wake you in the morning, okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah, okay. Goodnight Van Helsing."

"Goodnight Andrea." I entered the tent, tried to push my guilt aside, and went to sleep.

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"Andrea, are you up?" Van Helsing called into the tent. "I know it's early, but–"

"I'm over here!" I answered from behind the tent. "I was just saddling the horses. We leave soon right?"

"God, you're up early!"

"I couldn't sleep. This is all too surreal. I still can't believe I'm in Romania with Van Helsing in 1891."

"What, am I really all that famous?"

I tried to explain. "Well, in my time, you're not a real person, but the movie is famous. And the actor who played your character."

"Oh. This must be very strange to you."

I nodded and began packing up the tent. "You have no idea. But, this is probably the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. What about breakfast? And how did you sleep last night?" I asked while picking up a few things and putting them in the saddlebags.

"We'll eat later, on the way, and I slept fine. Stop worrying about me."

"Alright, I will." I said, as I packed the last few things away, mounted, and rode off. I looked back, laughing. Van Helsing quickly mounted his horse and caught up to me.

"You know," he shouted past the wind whipping by, "it's probably not a good idea to ride ahead of me, seeming how you don't know where you're going." I stuck my tongue out at him and urged my horse faster.

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I know, this chappie is short and kind of boring...it gets better I promise. I'm a little worried about Van Helsing being OOC-ish; when I had vanity read it she thought he seemeda bit out of character. So, review and tell me what you think! The next chappie will be up soon.....I have most of the story written, I just need to post it all. Hopefully, I 'll get the hang of this uploading thing and then you shouldn't have to wait long for chappies. (Yay! I know it's exciting, but please stop jumping up and down, you're scaring me, lol) Byes for now and review please! D


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: ** I don't own anything in this story accept the plotline and my OC. Duh. Wish I did though. :'(

A/N: This chappie is long (YAY!) and we meet Carl (YAY!!) but some parts of it are kinda boring, lol. I'm sorry.

Megan h: No, Anna does rock, but she doesn't come back in this story. Sorry. Don't stop reading it though! It's good! (ish, lol)

Christina Marquez: I was afraid of that. Well, I haven't changed him yet so tell me if you think he's still too OOC. If he is, I'll try to work on changing him a bit. Thanks for reviewing anyway!

Audrey: I'm so glad you like my story! It makes me feel all happy inside, lol.  Thanks for your review!

And of course, my bestest friend Pixie: Thanks for all the support with my story and obviously for letting me use your log in!   You rock and your stories do too, lol.

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1A few hours later, we had stopped our mad dash to let the horses rest, and were just going at a slow walk. "How old are you?" Van Helsing turned to me and asked.

"I'm 28." I replied.

"Tell me about your family."

I glanced at him, but said, "My family. I have a younger brother; he's 21. Actually, our birthdays are five days apart, and of course the seven years in between, obviously. My parents are divorced; both remarried but never had kids. I don't have any grandparents, but I have an aunt on my dad's side. She has two kids, but they're both younger than me. I'm not married and I don't have any kids. I don't think I will for a while either."

"Why not?" Van Helsing asked.

"I just don't like the whole idea right now. When you have a baby, your whole world changes. Suddenly, you have to rewrite your entire life to accommodate another person. It seems like too much hassle. I like my life now. Maybe a few years from now I'll have a different opinion, but right now, I'm fine without kids." Van Helsing nodded.

"It must be nice to have a family and memories you can look back on." Van Helsing said.

"Not really." I replied and he looked at me questioningly. "Let's just say I didn't have all that happy a childhood. My parents were always fighting before they divorced, and I think my brother's into drugs." I sighed.

"Drugs?" Van Helsing asked.

"They're kind of hard to explain, but the point is, drugs are definitely bad for you. I'm worried about him. I think I envy you. There are a lot of things I wish I could forget."

"I guess not all families are worth remembering." Van Helsing said after a moment, looking off into the distance.

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there."

After we'd stopped for the night and had dinner we sat around the fire talking about everything and nothing. "So let me get this straight. In your time, you can travel faster than even Transylvanian horses, and you can fly?!"

"Basically yes. There's more to it than that, but essentially, that's the idea."

"Wow. Carl would love you. Wait 'til he gets a chance to talk to you; he won't ever stop asking questions when he hears about this stuff."

"I told you Carl and I have a lot in common. How many more days until we get to Rome?"

"Hmmm, I'd say three or four. We'll reach the ship tomorrow."

"That's not too bad I guess. Alright, I think I'll go to bed. Have fun out here on the cold, hard, ground." I teased.

Van Helsing scowled at me. "I told you not to worry, but you don't have to be downright mean about it!"

I smiled devilishly. "It's a gift."

Van Helsing rolled his eyes. "Goodnight Ms. ...... Do you have a last name? You never told me."

"Do you have a first? _You_ never told_ me_." I returned, grinning.

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. It's Gabriel."

"I know, it was in the movie. But almost no one calls you that. Makes sense; you don't really seem like a Gabriel. Well........maybe......." I studied him for a moment, then shrugged. "It doesn't matter. My last name is Valeria (A.N. val-air-ee-ah, just so you know)." I said, and entered the tent.

We finally reached Rome some days later. Van Helsing led the way into a large Church and down through a secret passage. I looked around, taking it all in. "Pretty impressive isn't it?" Van Helsing asked me. I shrugged, nonchalantly.

"It's just a Church." I said. He looked at me incredulously. By now we were standing looking down at all manner of activity in this hidden area behind the confessionals. People were bustling about and there were racks and racks of various weapons and other things everywhere. I caught Van Helsing's look and explained. "I don't really believe in Go–" I was cut off by Van Helsing's hand as several priests and monks turned to stare at me.

"Not here." Van Helsing whispered. "Whatever you were going to say, save it for a more private spot." I nodded and we walked down a set of steps. Van Helsing led the way through the room to what looked to be a small library. No one was around except for a small person hunched over a book towards the back of the room. "Carl!" Van Helsing called. "I knew he'd be here." he whispered to me with a wink and a small smile. Carl jumped and looked up from his book.

"Van Helsing! What brings you to Rome?"

"Special circumstances, Carl." replied Van Helsing glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I stood there staring. It was Carl! Right in front of me!

"Well, what creature is it this time? Oh! Van Helsing, who's your friend?" Carl asked, noticing me for the first time.

"This is Andrea, Carl. She would be the 'special circumstances' and I think you'll want to hear her story."

"Well come and sit down then!" Carl said impatiently, gesturing us over. "My God, Van Helsing! She looks just like–"

"Anna. I know." Carl stared at me in wonder. Van Helsing cleared his throat when he saw my discomfort. "So, Carl...." Carl started and blinked.

"I'm sorry, I just.....Anyway, continue." he said, looking at me expectantly.

"Okay, believe me when I say this." I started taking a deep breath. "My name is Andrea Valeria. I'm from the 21st Century, and the other night I went to bed in my own time, and the next morning I woke up here in 1891."

"Well," Carl responded quickly. "You certainly _look _like you're from around here."

"I assure you, these are not the clothes I went to sleep in." I said.

"I believe her Carl." Van Helsing said.

"Okay, I wasn't doubting her! I was just a little shocked is all. That is a strange story, even with you involved, Van Helsing." He turned to me. "Do you remember anything between when you went to sleep and when you woke up?"

"I remember this strange dream. There was a really bright light.......and wings.....and it felt like the world was spinning faster and faster. I felt dizzy, then I woke up."

"What do you make of it, Carl?" Van Helsing asked.

"Well, it seems to me, and this is just an educated guess mind you, but it sounds like Andrea is some modern reincarnation of Anna, what with the physical similarities, not to mention the similar names, brought back in time by angels sent by God to help with.....something."

"What?!" I said in disbelief. "That's ridiculous! I don't even believe in God! Why would He bring me back in time?"

"You don't believe in God?" Van Helsing and Carl asked at the same time.

"I mean, I....." I blushed a little in embarrassment. "I _was_ baptized," I explained, "and I did get my First Communion and all that, but I was never Confirmed and I just don't really believe in all that stuff."

Van Helsing and Carl stared. "How can you not believe in God?" Van Helsing demanded. "How else would you explain your being here? I'm the Left Hand of God for crying out loud!"

"Well I didn't believe in God 'til just recently, okay?!" I said, getting a little annoyed. I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for yelling. I'm just a little stressed out about being in Rome a century back in time." I said, trying to stay calm.

"Right!" said Carl, all business now. "I'd say the first thing we need to do, is figure out why you were brought back here, and how to get you home."

"Why _was_ I brought back in time?" I asked Carl, hoping he might have some ideas.

"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe you know something that could be of use to us."

"Use for what? Things seem to be pretty quiet around here." I said.

"I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough." Van Helsing replied. "Until then, I suggest we just stay calm and go through life as usual. Well," Van Helsing said, glancing at me, "Carl and I should go through life as usual, and Andrea, you should.....um....." Van Helsing seemed to be at a loss as to what to do with me.

"How about I stay with Carl?" I asked cheerfully.

"What?" Carl asked, looking a little uncomfortable. "I don't think that's really–"

"Relax, Carl." Van Helsing cut in with a smile. "Trust me, you two will get along just fine. I'm sure you and Andrea will find lots to talk about." Van Helsing winked at me and left the room.

I turned to Carl. "I read all the time, and I study history and science. That's what Van Helsing meant." I smiled.

"Oh. Well in that case, come here and look at what I was reading before you arrived. I believe you'll find it fascinating. It's the only copy in Rome of the writings of.............pre-dating the 16th Century............page 1,149............" Carl began mumbling incessantly about the book. I sighed. Van Helsing was right. I seriously doubted that Carl would ever shut up. However, I _was_ curious, so with a last look at the door, I turned and walked over to Carl.

Some hours later Van Helsing returned to find Carl and I in deep discussion. I had already explained to him all the wonders of modern science, and we had pored over almost every book in the small library. "Knock knock." Van Helsing called as he entered the room. "Good Lord, what have you two been doing?" he asked as he looked around. The books were no longer orderly and papers were lying strewn about everywhere.

Carl glanced up at him. "Van Helsing, I love this girl! Where did you _find_ her? Now what page......"

"We've been discussing all the things you deem too boring to worry about." I supplied with a smile. "Everything Carl starts to explain to you, but never finishes."

"Oh." Van Helsing returned the smile. "Sounds.....great! Very, uh, interesting."

"And where have you been all this time?" I demanded, knowing full well he probably wouldn't tell me.

"You know, gathering supplies, information, anything we might need just in case." Van Helsing said evasively.

"Whatever." I returned with a smile. I shook my head and bent back over the book. Then I stretched and turned to look out the window at the night sky.

"Isn't that _my_ job, Van Helsing?" Carl asked abruptly, glancing up from the page he was avidly reading.

"Well, I..."

"You know it's bad enough that you never listen to me, and where would you be without me, hmm? Don't you think I'd better get whatever it is we need? And another thing– What is it Andrea?!" Carl shouted. I had been tapping him incessantly on the shoulder ever since he'd started speaking. He looked at me, then followed my gaze to the window and froze as a huge, bat-like creature flew in and out of the clouds outside, then tore away eastward.

"What's with you two?" Van Helsing asked; he couldn't see the window from where he was standing. "First Carl suddenly starts lecturing me for no apparent reason, and now you two are just standing there like a couple of....." he stopped talking as I turned to face him.

"Van Helsing," I said, my voice slightly shaking, "I think I've jinxed you."

Hope you liked this chappie as much as I did. This is a pretty good one if I do say so myself. Read and review please! And stay tuned cuz we meet Dracula next!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** This may come as a shock, but I still don't own Van Helsing! But a plan is in the works, lol.

Megan h: Thanx for reviewing! I hope Dracula isn't OOC in this chappie. I don't think so, but if you do, tell me because an OOC drac would be AWFUL. So be honest k? Enjoy! 

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1"What! Are you sure?" Van Helsing asked after Carl and I explained to him what we had seen.

"Are we sure!" Carl retorted sarcastically. "How could we be mistaken? I swear, it was _him_ right there outside the window!"

"But in Rome? It doesn't make sense. Besides, I really think I killed him the last time. Maybe you just imagined it."

"Both of us just imagined a giant bat flying around outside?" Carl exclaimed. "I don't think so. And anyway, he never seems to _stay _dead, does he? With the devil, there's always a loophole. We just have to find it." Both Carl and Van Helsing turned and looked at me.

"What? Don't look at me!" I said. "I don't have any answers! I don't even know what I'm doing here in the first place!"

Van Helsing sighed. "Whatever the reason for your being here, I'm sure Dracula has something to do with it. We need answers. Carl, I want you to look through everything we have on Dracula. Find that loophole. Andrea, you need to tell me everything you know about Dracula. Anything could help." I nodded.

"I'll try, but I doubt it _will _help."

"Why not?"

"Because in my time Dracula is just a story. A book was written about him–"

"A book?" Carl interrupted.

"Yes, but it was just a made up fictional story! According to the history books of my time, there was a Count Dracula-like man, but his name was Vlad Tepes, he lived during the 15th Century, and he wasn't a _vampire_! He just had this wacked out psychotic obsession with impaling people. He was often called Vlad the Impaler, but not much else is known about him. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be much help. Until just a few minutes ago, Dracula was just a made up kid Halloween story to me."

"This book," Carl asked tentatively. "Do you....have a copy?"

"Of course not!" I exploded. I don't even have my own clothes on! What'd you think, that I just carry around a copy of some old, made-up novel with me everywhere?! Of course I don't have a copy!" I stopped for breath and noticed Carl practically cowering behind a stack of books. Van Helsing came up behind me.

"Calm down." he said, guiding me into a chair. I sat down and started crying, dry racking sobs. Ugh, what a girlie thing to do. Here I am with _the_ Van Helsing and Carl, and all I can do is cry. Stupid hormones! Stupid stress! "It's alright Carl, you can come out now."

"Bit temperamental, isn't she?" Carl said, still slightly wary of coming too close.

"I'm sorry." I said, trying to stop crying, which only made me start hiccuping. " I just.....hic......I.....hic....I didn't mean....hic....oh!" I cried angrily, giving up attempting to explain. Van Helsing sat down next to me and patted my back, looking slightly uncomfortable and at a loss, until I finally stopped hiccuping and began breathing normally again.

"It's okay," he said, "Calm down. Everything's fine, you're just a little stressed. And Carl's sorry, aren't you Carl." It wasn't a question.

"Now, wait just a minute!" Carl said indignantly. "I'm not going to apologize for something that's entirely not my fault– I mean," Carl caught a look from Van Helsing and suddenly sounded very apologetic, "I mean, I, uh, I'm sorry Andrea, for, uh........_.Van Helsing_!" Carl whispered furtively, "what exactly did I do?" I laughed at this and drew back from Van Helsing's comforting touch, blushing slightly.

"Don't bother to apologize, Carl. I'm the one who was screaming at you, and I _am_ sorry. This is all just too overwhelming." I took a deep breath and stood up. "Okay," I began, my voice still shaky, "where's that loophole?"

It was now mid-morning, and after hours of research, dead ends, and a few hours' sleep, Carl announced the worst. "I'm afraid we won't find what we're looking for here. This small library isn't extensive enough. We need to go to the Vatican Archives."

"How long will it take to get _there_?" Van Helsing asked grimly.

"If we leave now, we should arrive there about this same time tomorrow. If we don't stop for the night, that is."

"We don't have much choice. Carl, pack your things. Andrea and I will be outside waiting for you." Carl nodded in assent and I followed Van Helsing outside. While Carl collected whatever he thought we needed, Van Helsing and I got the horses. Van Helsing seemed tense, but I was excited. After all, the Vatican Archives are almost impossible to get into in 2004, and I had always wanted to go, but here I was, getting free access to the place. It was exciting! As soon as Carl arrived, we mounted and took off, not wasting a moment.

That night, after we had eaten, Carl and I were getting ready to sleep as Van Helsing had volunteered to keep watch. Everything was quiet. As a matter of fact, it was too quiet. The three of us exchanged a look, and a chill blanket settled over our campsite. Then, from the east came a horrific cry as a giant bat swooped down and landed near our campfire, almost smothering the flames. As soon as it touched the ground, it transformed, and there, before my eyes, stood Dracula. Dressed all in black with a cape and eyes like cold fire, he looked at the three of us, his stare lingering on me.

"Van Helsing!" Dracula cried, "So good to see you again. This seems all too familiar, does it not? Too bad Anna won't be joining us this time."

"What do you want?" Van Helsing growled.

"Want? My dear Gabriel, haven't you guessed?" Lightening fast, he transformed again, launched himself at me, grabbed me by the shoulders, and took off!

"Andrea!" Van Helsing shouted, far below. "ANDREA!" Dracula laughed, and Carl and Van Helsing rapidly vanished into the distance.

I, meanwhile, was having the time of my life! I was flying, (momentarily forgetting about the frightening bat that was carrying me) caught up in the rush of the wind and the view of the breathtaking night country-side. We finally landed on top of a high castle tower. Dracula set me down and transformed back into his human form.

"That.....that was _amazing_!" I cried, in wonder. I ran to the edge of the tower roof and looked out, spreading my arms wide. I could still feel the whistle of wind in my hair, the butterflies in my stomach. I turned back to Dracula. "That was so exhilarating! The rush, the swoosh, the wind, and the view!" I twirled around in pure joy of the feeling. Then I stopped in front of Dracula. "You..." I said, "You.....I........Thank you. I've always wished I could fly like that! It was.....wonderful!" I looked at Dracula with admiration and excitement from the flight still in my eyes. Dracula just stared back at me in wonder. He seemed totally unprepared and shocked at my reaction. Then he seemed to recover and smiled. "Oh!" I gasped, completely unafraid of the man standing before me. "We haven't been properly introduced. My name is Andrea. Andrea Valeria, though you probably know that." Dracula bowed gracefully.

"Count Vladislaus Dragulia."

As he straightened, I vocalized a thought I'd just had. "Hmm. Interesting. You have a first name, naturally, yet people only refer to you by your surname, Dracula. Similar to Van Helsing. He has a first name as well, yet you are the only one I know who actually calls him Gabriel. Granted, I haven't been here long, but I've never heard anyone else call him that. Don't you think that's an interesting coincidence?"

Dracula just stared at me again. "You are....." he stopped, searching for the right words. "...Strange. Unlike anyone I've ever known."

I smiled. "Thank you! Likewise, you can be sure, Count Dragulia."

"Oh, my dear, that sounds so formal! Please, call me Vladislaus." Dracula replied, as he opened a door leading down into the castle.

As we walked down the stairs, Dracula leading the way, I asked, "Where are we?"

"Dr. Frankenstein's old castle. It has been abandoned these last few years, but, I still come here now and again to.......make use of it. After all, it seems such a waste, wouldn't you agree?"

"Wholeheartedly." I answered. I wasn't afraid at all. Dracula seemed so charming and gracious, it was easy to forget the monster he could suddenly become. All I remembered was the indescribable ride to get here, not the beast who carried me. And being roughly pulled off the ground. "Tell me," I said, "was there any particular reason why you snatched me right off the ground so ungraciously?"

"Ah, Andrea, for that I must apologize. You see, you were brought here by _God_," he said the word with great distaste, "to assist Van Helsing in my destruction. Now, I couldn't just let that happen, could I? So, I took matters into my own hands. Self preservation, you understand, I'm sure."

"Of course," I responded, "I fully understand. I suppose I forgive you, Vladislaus." Dracula stopped on the stairs, turned, and kissed my hand, almost mockingly.

"You are...too kind." he said with a smile. The stairs came to an end and opened up into the main hall. I looked around.

"This place is huge! But so empty." I turned to Dracula. "There isn't one piece of furniture or anything! Are we staying here?"

"Of course not Ms. Valeria! This is simply a temporary residence until tomorrow night. Dawn is almost here, and, I'm afraid we wouldn't have enough time to go further."

"Well, what shall I do until then? There is nothing here but bare walls!"

"Make yourself at home." Dracula replied. With a wave of his hand, a bed, a dresser full of clothes, a table filled with food, and a bookshelf stocked with books instantly appeared. "And now," Dracula continued, bowing, "I must go." He kissed my hand again. "Until tomorrow night." he said, a smile playing on his lips and fire dancing in his eyes. Then, he straightened, and with a whirl, vanished.

"This is too surreal." I thought out loud, and wandered over to the food on the table. There were all manner of delicious things, so, remembering how long ago my last meal was, I began to eat.

So, what do you think? I like this chappie cuz Drac rox, but if you have a comment on it, good or bad, share it with me! I'll update as soon as I can and as soon as someone reviews. But I'm not gonna wait for a certain number or anything…I hate it when authors do that! Okay, I'll stop babbling… Anyways, review please!

GEM


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer/AN: **Do I even have to say it?! Of course I don't own VH! Why must you make me relive this painful fact over and over?!! Lol. Hey everyone, thanks so much for your reviews and I'm sorry I haven't updated in a little while. You see, on Wednesday my school found out that one of our Seniors, Justin Mirabile, was killed in a car crash. Two other students were seriously injured. I didn't know them, but it was still really sad so I've been kind of preoccupied. Depending upon whether you live nearby, you might have seen it on the news.

On a lighter note, your reviews made me feel much better! I feel so appreciated! Here are my lovely personal responses…

Megan h: My faithful reviewer! Sorry about Drac. I seem to have issues with characters being OOC, lol. I haven't changed any of Drac's lines from my original story so hopefully he's not too bad anymore, and I'm glad you like the story so far!

Audrey: Your review was so simple, but great just the same. It made me smile. Thanks again!

Rhea: New reader, YAY! Yeah, it is kind of tiring when everybody is afraid of Drac, so I'm glad you like my story. Keep r&r'ing please and thank you!

Luthien Anwamane: Another new reader, YAY! Vlad is one of my fav. Characters and I like writing his lines and stuff. I'm happy that you like him too. grins Hey, is your name Elvish? What's it mean?

Nala456: Yet another new reader, YAY! I feel so special! Muchas thanks for your review!

Christina Marquez: Yipee, Van Helsing's back! Good, I was worried. An OOC character can ruin the whole fic, which is why I want to you be absolutely honest about it, k? Yeah, I guess Andrea did kind of overreact there, but hey, that's probably what I would do. Don't worry, it won't end up being a Drac/Andrea romance. I was thinking about it, but then decided against it. Glad you like the story so far!

Thanks again to all you wonderful reviewers out there! This chappie is for you, which makes sense cuz without you, I would have no need for a chappie at all. Anywho, Chapter 5!

1Meanwhile, miles away, Carl and Van Helsing were trying to plan their next move. "We have to go after her, we've got to save her!" Van Helsing shouted.

"And then what?" Carl returned, "face Dracula without any idea of how to destroy him? As much as I hate to say it, we can't rescue Andrea until we figure out what we need to do to kill Dracula. Trust me, Van Helsing, you know we can't just walk into Dracula's lair unprepared! We'll go to the Vatican Archives, find what we need, and then we'll rescue Andrea, alright?"

Van Helsing grimaced. "I don't like it. I don't like abandoning her to that monster!"

"We're not abandoning her! You think _I_ like it that we can't rescue her now?" In a calmer voice, Carl continued. "Besides, I think Andrea can take care of herself for a little while. She _is_ Anna's reincarnation. She's strong. She'll be alright."

"Fine," Van Helsing replied, "I can't argue your point. Dammit Carl! Why do you always have to be so logical?!"

"It's a gift," Carl said smugly, then cowered at Van Helsing's look.

The next day, Carl and Van Helsing arrived at the Vatican Archives. "Carl, this place is gigantic! How will we ever find what we're looking for?!" Van Helsing asked, staring around at the rows upon rows of bookshelves filled with dust-covered tomes.

"Yes, well, that might take some time," Carl said hesitantly. He walked off down the aisles, reading the spines as he passed. He was mumbling, "I keep telling them to get a card catalog, but do they listen? _Nooooo_. No one listens to Carl, he's only a friar! Hmph!" Van Helsing smiled to himself and followed Carl.

While Van Helsing and Carl were fruitlessly searching, I was standing at the window, looking out at the rapidly setting sun. I had changed into some new clothes similar to my old ones, but the point was, they were clean. I had even managed to sleep for a while, but now, I was bored and restless. I knew I should probably have been afraid of Dracula, but I just wasn't. I was actually looking forward to his arrival. Anything would be better than this cold, empty castle. I didn't have to wait long. By now the sun had set, and a few minutes later, when all trace of light was gone from the sky, I felt a chill breeze upon me. I turned in time to see a gigantic bat land and instantly change into the graceful man I immediately recognized as my captor/host.

"Vladislaus!" I cried, "I've been expecting you."

"Andrea," he replied, stepping towards me, "did I keep you waiting long? I apologize, and I hope you have been comfortable."

"Oh very, thank you. The food was delicious! All my favorite things." He smiled.

"Wonderful! I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself. Now, if you don't mind, we really must be going." Dracula turned, waved his arm, and everything vanished.

"Mind? Oh, no; anything's better than this empty place.........Are we going to fly again?" I asked, as this new thought occurred to me. "It was wonderful, but a bit unceremonious, don't you think? Then again, I'm not sure you'd understand, you've never been snatched right off the ground before, have you?"

Dracula chuckled. "To be perfectly honest, no. No one capable of it has ever gotten close enough. And very few are capable." he said with a wry smile and a glint in his eye.

"I'm sure you can imagine that it isn't the most comfortable thing, being carried by one's shoulders very high off the ground." I said. "Might there be some other way to get to where we're going?"

"Of course there is, but I'm afraid you'd miss out on the flight." Dracula responded, holding out his hand.

I sighed. "Well, it is a shame, but I'll get over it." I said, taking his hand. It was icy and fiery at the same time. He pulled me close to his chest, and in a flashing whirl of color, we left Castle Frankenstien, and arrived somewhere new, all in less than a heartbeat.

"Welcome!" cried Dracula, "to my humble abode. My castle, in all of its splendor." I looked around.

"I love it!" I responded, "but, it's so cold." Dracula lifted his arm, and the room became alive with dancing, glittering candles and torches, which warmed and brightened the room considerably.

"There, my dear. Is that more to your liking?"

"Yes, that's much better. Thank you." I turned. "You know, yesterday, I thought about you a lot, from a purely scientific view of course, and I came to some interesting realizations."

"Oh? And what were your interesting realizations?" Dracula asked inquiringly.

"Well," I started, "As you may or may not know, I am one of the youngest leading scientists in biology and chemistry, in my time anyway, so you can imagine that I know a great deal about those two fields of science." I began slowly circling Dracula while I talked, studying him intently. He watched and followed me with his eyes, an amused smile on his face. It almost seemed as if he wasn't really listening, as if he had other thoughts on his mind. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, you need to drink the blood of others to survive. That, in and of itself, isn't the most pleasant thought, but it is the perfect example of a parasitic relationship." I stated, proud that I had noticed this. Dracula, just looked at me quizzically.

"A parasitic relationship? Please, elaborate." he said. He seemed to take pleasure in just watching and humoring me.

I sighed. "I'll try to explain. You see, there are different ways that organisms, living things, interact. One way is called a parasitic relationship. That's where one living thing, in this case, you, but I don't know if we can call you living, interacts with another living thing, a. k. a. the average human, but only you benefit from the interaction, as in, you get their blood but they end up dying. Now that I think about it, this is a perfect example." I studied him some more. "Actually, you're quite the scientific anomaly, an enigma even. A parasite that can change its shape at will, but is photosensitive, wholly against Catholicism, and has unparalleled control of matter and the elements! And you don't even have–" I stopped, walked quickly up to Dracula, and put my ear on his chest. He stiffened slightly in surprise. I stood there for a moment, listening with all my might. Then I straightened and looked at him. "You really _don't_ have a heart!" I said, amazed. Dracula quickly recovered from my sudden movements and just smiled at me. "That's so.....so unnerving!" I continued. "Wow." I stepped back. "Do you miss it?" I asked, a sudden seriousness entering my voice.

Dracula paused, thinking, and then he looked up at me, seeming suddenly depressed, and not quite so charming. "Yes, on occasion, I do miss it. But, after all, I have been a long time without it, and......it's not all bad." His voice and eyes changed slightly as he quickly regained his composure and stepped forward, circling until he was behind my right shoulder. I didn't, couldn't move as he picked up a ringlet of my hair, and curled it around his finger, his other hand running lightly down my spine. As he moved around to my other shoulder, I looked into his eyes, growing increasingly dizzy under his spell. I slowly fell back, leaning against him.

I blinked my heavy eyelids as I settled comfortably against him, and managed to whisper with my last ounce of free will, "Was it worth it?" Dracula froze, then broke the spell, steadied me, and walked a few steps away, turning his back on me.

"My dear, you don't look well at all." he said, turning back to me, but ignoring my question. "Come, Andrea, you should lie down." Still dizzy and clouded by the spell, I let Dracula lead me up a staircase to a spacious room with a high ceiling. There was a bed, an armoire, a dresser, a large armchair, and windows with heavy crimson curtains drawn. A chandelier lit with dozens of candles illuminated the room. "This will be your room. I furnished it myself." He led me to the bed. I was so tired; my body felt like a lead weight. He laid me down, tenderly brushed the loose curls from my forehead, and left the room, locking the door behind him. I fell instantly asleep; the last thing I remember is the sound of the lock clicking into place.

Sorry about my little bio lesson there. I noticed that the other day and couldn't resist sticking it in. If I lost any of you because of confusion and/or boredom, again I apologize. Upon reflection, I think I've had better chapters, but oh well. R and R anyways…you know you want to, lol!

GEM


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: Of course I don't own Van Helsing or anything affiliated with it. Jeez, this is getting redundant.

A/N: OMG, to all my readers, I am SOOOO SORRY I haven't updated in like forever (well it feels like forever), but I was on vacation visiting my family. Please forgive me for keeping you waiting! I felt truly awful about not being able to update till now. Anyway, all of your reviews are so wonderful! Thanks to all of you who did!

Christine Marquez: I'm sorry. But I really have to disagree with you; I thought Richard Roxburgh was great! But that's just me. Hope you like this chappie better than Rox's acting! Btw, I noticed that I've been accidentally calling you Christin**A **and for that I apologize. I just noticed, lol. You should've said something!

Audrey: Thank you! Ur review was awesome! I'm so glad you like Drac and Andrea's personalities. I'll keep posting as long as you keep up the lovely positive comments, lol.

Rhea: Yeah, I guess you could say that she's definitely smart, lol. Sorry if you got lost. Andrea is gonna be paired up with Van Helsing eventually. At least, that's the plan, lol. Hope u like this chappie too!

SpiritKitsune88: YAY, a new reviewer! I'm so happy u like it so far! Here's another one for ya'!

Nienna Saralonde: YAY, another new reviewer! Thanks for the compliment! It was sort of my intention, but they won't end up together. Sorry if that was a spoiler for you, lol, and keep R&Ring please and thank you!

Lady Kathrin: I'm a Drac freak too, and don't worry, there's lots more of him!

Luthien Anwamane: Glad u liked the bio lesson. Don't get lost, did you? I've been to that sight before, but I don't remember what my name was, lol. Sorry to keep you waiting, and I hope you love this chappie too!

Once again, sorry to everyone for the long wait, and thanks so much for all the reviews. But enough talk…on with the chappie!

1I woke up to a pounding headache. As I sat up, the headache slowly subsided, and I was able to look around the room. How long had I been asleep? I had no idea, and there was no way to tell. I stood shakily and walked to the door. I tried the handle, then rattled it angrily, but it wouldn't budge. I turned back into my prison of a room, and strode over to one of the windows. I reached out and parted the thick curtains to reveal......a solid wall! I was staring at the thick blocks of stone that made up all the other walls. I walked to the next window, and the next, and each time I opened the curtains, I came to a solid wall, not the glass I was expecting. I had by now opened all four sets of curtains, and was contemplating ripping them all down in frustration.

However, I managed to take a deep breath, relax, and take another look around. I studied the room itself for a moment, and noticed that it was entirely circular, with no corners at all, which meant that I was probably in a tower. The lack of windows was surprising and strange, but I wasn't too perturbed. I mean, if Dracula wanted to hang curtains and pretend there were windows, I wasn't going to stop him. At the thought of Dracula, a wave of anger came. How dare he practically drug me (well, it had the same effect) and lock me in a room in some tower in God knows where! Actually, I wondered if God _did_ know where this castle was. The literal interpretation of the phrase made me smile wryly. Considering my current situation, I doubted it.

Dracula's words from last night came drifting to the top of my mind. "This will be your room. I furnished it myself." I looked at the furniture and snorted. I'll say you did. All the furniture matched, and it was made of a deep red chestnut wood, with black oak trim. The sheets on the bed were a cream color, and the cover was a rich purple, with crimson and gold edging. There were several candles illuminating the room, as well as the lighted chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the dresser had a brush and comb resting on it. I opened the armoire and looked at its contents. It was filled with beautiful evening dresses of all makes, colors, and styles. Some had voluminous skirts, while others were slim and elegant. They were blue, red, black, emerald green, purple, some covered in sequins and glittering diamonds, others with ruffles or detailed embroideries. All of them had a corset built in. This must be the style, I thought. How uncomfortable.

I closed the armoire and opened the dresser drawers. More casual clothes were there, but the top drawer had gorgeous earrings, necklaces, and other accessories to match the dresses in the armoire. I took advantage of the clean clothes and pulled out a pair of tight navy blue pants and an off-white fitted top with long sleeves that flared open at the ends. The top had red stitching with intricate designs. I changed quickly and looked at myself in the full length mirror I had noticed on the inside of one of the armoire doors. I guess I'm going patriotic, I thought smirking, looking at my red, white, and blue outfit. Strange how everything fit me perfectly........ I sighed and thought longingly of home and my own bed. Then I quickly shoved my homesick feelings aside and glanced at my hair. The curls had become a tangled knot. I grabbed the brush and worked at untangling the mess. I few minutes (and curses) later, I had managed to organize my numerous curls into individual ringlets, and though proud of my accomplishment as I studied my reflection, I had no one to appreciate it. The thought of my solitary imprisonment got me angry all over again and I sat down on the bed in a huff.

"Aw, why so upset, my Andrea?" Dracula's voice sounding from above frightened me, and I jumped. Then I looked up to see Dracula standing high above me on the ceiling of my room.

"Vladislaus Dragulia!" I shouted, furious. "How dare you do lock me up in here! How long have I been in this damn room anyway?! That was a hell of a dirty trick you played." I craned my neck to look up at him, the anger plain on my face.

Dracula chuckled. "You slept through most of the day. Night has just fallen, as you can see." He gestured towards the windows.

"No, I can't! If you haven't noticed, there are no–" I stopped and looked over. The four windows were there, glass and all. I walked up to one and touched the glass. It was freezing, and one look outside told me why. The castle was in a barren ice wasteland. I turned back to Dracula, still on the ceiling. One look in his eyes, and my anger began to slowly drain away. "Like I said earlier, power over matter." I shook my head and smiled derisively. "And I guess we can add gravity-defying to the list." I added, looking up at him again. "Damn it, do you have to stay up there? Either you come down, or help me come up!" I demanded, tired of straining my neck.

Dracula smiled again, and dropped, flipping in mid-air to land softly and lightly on his feet. "Show off." I mumbled. Dracula heard me and smiled wider, amused at my discomfiture.

"You look lovely." he said, stepping towards me. He stopped about a foot away, closed his eyes, and breathed slowly and deeply. I watched warily, as his gloved hands began to tap out a steady, familiar rhythm. "Your heartbeat." he whispered, his eyes still closed, "so slow, so calm." He opened his eyes. "Intoxicating." He reached out and pulled me close, running his hand up my shoulder, stopping where the blood pulsed in my neck. I was practically frozen with terror, leaning back slightly and supported by his other arm, my eyes wide and my hands on his shoulders for balance. "I could take you now." Dracula whispered quietly, almost to himself, wild fire in his eyes. "Just one brief moment of _pain_." He clenched my neck for a second, but quickly released his grip as I gasped reflexively and tightened my grip on his shoulders. Then he seemed to take command of himself once more, and the wild look vanished from his eyes. He looked down at me and frowned slightly.

"What's this? I see fear in your eyes. You of all people should not fear me. Don't be afraid." he crooned softly, still holding me. "Never be afraid."

"Vladislaus......" I whispered, and, as the terror and anxiety I had pent up inside was released, I clung to him, shuddering. I was lost in a sea of emotion, and Dracula was the only steady and solid rock amidst the waves of fear, loneliness, and confusion I was feeling. The last few days had caught up with me, and I was tired of feeling constantly behind and off-balance in my new surroundings. I squeezed my eyes shut, and tried to concentrate on steadying my haggard breathing. Dracula's hand was running through my hair soothingly, his other hand resting at the base of my spine. I stood there for a minute, listening to Dracula's hollow breathing match my own. Then I pulled away, and turned around, trying to compose myself.

"Didn't you like any of them?" Dracula asked, opening the armoire.

"What? Oh, well they are nice, but I'm not really a dress person." I said, turning around to see what he was referring to.

"Too bad," Dracula commented, "I believe you would look stunning, especially in this." He pulled out a dark red dress with a corset top and a wide, full skirt. It glittered with sequins and had black and gold trimming.

"Red isn't really my color," I responded. I had by now fully collected myself, and was wondering where all this was leading.

"I prefer to call it crimson, and I rather think it _is _your color."

"Even if it were, why would I wear it? It's not like there's a special occasion for it."

"But of course there is!" Dracula returned, pretending to be shocked. "You see, tomorrow night, I've decided to throw a ball and invite a few......friends."

"A ball? You mean like a party? Here?!"

"Yes, why not? And I would be...so....._unhappy_, if you didn't wear something nice."

"What if I don't feel like going?" I asked boldly.

"Oh, I think you _do _feel like going." Dracula stated, staring right into my eyes.

I looked away quickly and said dryly, "You seem to know a lot about what I like to do and wear." Dracula smiled. A dangerous smile, with wrath and anger just underneath. He advanced towards me, the dress still in his hands. I tensed, unsure of what he would do.

"My Andrea," he said sweetly, then, as his voice changed to a lethal whisper, "You would do well to stop your game. I trust you will give me no more trouble in this matter. Wear it." He thrust the dress into my arms and brushed past me. At the door he turned and bowed. "Until tomorrow night."

"Wait!" I said, having regained my voice. "You're not going to lock me in here again, are you?" Dracula paused and thought.

"I suppose not. You are my.......my guest, and should feel as such. So, feel free to explore my home."

"You trust me not to leave?" I asked incredulously.

"Have you looked outside?" Dracula asked, partly sarcastic and partly annoyed at the location of his castle. "I think you would have a hard time getting anywhere. And it is chilly outside."

I sighed and glanced out the window. "You make a point." I grudgingly agreed. " And did you have to do that heartbeat thing? It really freaks people out. I mean, it's bad enough that you can hear my heart, but do you have to tell me that you can hear it? That's like telling someone that you spy on them. I'm better off not knowing. Just because you don't have a heart doesn't mean you need to tell me what mine sounds like." Dracula just smiled evilly once again, and left the room. I sat down wearily on the bed, laying the dress down beside me. It really wasn't all _that_ bad a color...... I shook my head and reclined back onto the pillow getting comfortable. I was only planning on resting my eyes but.....I was..... so tired.....

So that's it for now! Sorry for the slight cliffie-ish thing, but I'm sure you'll forgive me, lol. Sorry again for the long wait and Review please!

Gem


	7. CHapter 7

**Disclaimer: **sigh I don't own Van Helsing or any of its affiliates. Of course. But, I don't want to get sued, so there you go!

**A/N:** Muchas thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys rock! Just a note about this chappie…it's not very exciting, and a little short. Sorry. But the little in between parts are necessary too, right? Anyway, it's mostly more plot development and whatnot, and it's not my best chappie. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read it though! And for any/all of you who were waiting for the ball scene, keep waiting cuz that's coming up soon :). I had to put this in here first though, sorry. Alrighty, that's about it so enjoy! And now…the moment you've all been waiting for…personal responses to reviews! YAY! (lol)

**Christine Marquez:** Yeah I guess ur right…Anna did gasp a lot. But whatever. Glad u liked the chappie and I hope you like this one too.

**Countess Alana:** aka Audrey, lol. OMG, I am in LOVE with your story. I can't convey to you how much I enjoy reading it! Rock on girl, and keep updating…ur chappies are too short! And I'm glad you like my story as well, of course.

**Luthien Anwamane:** YAY, another update! Lol Yeah, I'm a Drac freak too, but unfortunately, he's not in this chappie. tear Oh well, he'll be back soon enough, and thanks for your review!

**Rhea:** Your wish is my command. As you can see, I have updated, lol. Thank you for reviewing!

Okay, let the reading of the chapter commence! lol

I awoke to a dull and muffled pounding far beneath me. I looked out the windows that hadn't vanished as I was afraid they would, and saw that it was around mid-morning. I walked to one of the windows and looked out and down, noticing that my room faced the entryway of the castle below. Then I saw two small figures at the huge front doors. One was standing a few paces back from the door, looking like he really didn't want to be there. The other was the source of the pounding; he was whaling away at the door with everything he had. Instantly I recognized them. Van Helsing and Carl! I had almost forgotten about them. I tried to open the window, then banged on it, but it stayed intact, the glass as thick as ever. I realized Van Helsing probably wouldn't hear me anyway, what with all the racket he was making, so I turned, opened the door, and walked calmly down to the front hall.

While I was making my way down the numerous stairs, Van Helsing was attempting to open the doors, but to no avail. "Are you sure there's no other way in, Van Helsing?" Carl asked nervously.

"Yes...'_thud_'...Carl, I'm...'_bang_'...sure!" Van Helsing managed to grunt in between constant ramming of the door with his shoulder. He had long since given up on using his sword, tojo blades, and even his revolver, to open the heavy doors. "Dammit! Argh!" Van Helsing shouted to no one in particular. He backed up and began to run one last time at the door. At that moment, I opened the door to see Van Helsing running straight at me, full tilt! He saw me and his eyes widened but he couldn't stop, Carl shouted my name, and I had just enough time and sense to spring back out of the way as Van Helsing went sailing past. He skidded to a stop and landed with a loud THUD onto the vast marble floor of the main hall. I slowly peeked out from behind the door and stifled a laugh. The two of them were quite a sight, covered in snow, Van Helsing sprawled out on the floor, Carl still hesitantly inching his way towards the open doorway. When he saw me walk out towards Van Helsing, he sped up.

"Andrea! Are you alright? My God, Van Helsing, you could've killed her!" He walked a few feet away and picked up Van Helsing's hat, which had slid across the floor when Van Helsing slipped and fell. I smiled at Carl reassuringly and bent down next to Van Helsing as he sat up.

"Uuugh." he groaned. "Andrea? Andrea!" he said when he caught sight of me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I laughed. "That was a close call, but I managed to escape unscathed." I smiled at him and helped him stand.

"No, I mean, well, I'm glad I didn't run you over, but, I mean, are you alright? You've been trapped here with Dracula for at least two whole days!"

"And nights!" Carl interjected. "The nights are more important." Van Helsing took his hat from Carl and turned to stare at me worriedly. I could tell that he was really concerned about me.

"I'm fine." I said again. "Truly." I laid a hand on his arm and looked in his eyes. Then I realized how long we'd been standing there, and broke away, turning towards the expanse of the hall we were in. "So, what brings you to Castle Dracula?" I said cheerfully. "Unfortunately, or you might say fortunately, my host, Vladislaus, is unavailable right now." Van Helsing and Carl just looked at me strangely. I sighed, exasperated. "Come on guys, loosen up! It's me, remember? I'm just trying to have some fun. Vladislaus has been an....._almost _perfect gentleman to me, and I'm just fine."

Van Helsing still looked unconvinced. "What do you mean, almost? And wait, _Vladislaus_? Why do you call him that?"

"He asked me to." I said matter-of-factly, as if that explained everything. "I saw no reason not to. Besides, it sounds better than _Dracula_. However, if it bothers you, I won't say it when you're around."

"Then call me Gabriel." Van Helsing responded. He sounded like he might have been jealous, but that doesn't make sense...does it?

"Okay," I said, "So, why _are_ you two here?" Carl and Van Helsing exchanged a look.

"To rescue you?" Van Helsing said it questioningly and almost apologetically, still slightly shocked to see that I was unharmed. "What else would we do, we couldn't just leave you here!"

"Wow. That's really...nice of you. I didn't expect a rescue." I said. "I feel like I'm the princess in some fairy tale or something." Van Helsing and Carl just looked at me again. "Never mind." I said smiling.

"_And_," Carl said suddenly, clearly excited about what he had to say, "We found the loophole!"

"Really?" I asked, interested. "Tell me. No, wait. I think this might take a while. Let's go up to my room." I led the way up the stairs. Then I hurried in and put the dress back into the armoire. I didn't feel like explaining why it was just lying on my bed. Van Helsing and Carl walked in and I gestured for them to sit down somewhere. Van Helsing chose to sit on the bed next to me, and Carl pulled up the armchair in front of us. I scootched around a little on the bed, crossed my legs, and leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees. Van Helsing and Carl watched as I was moving around. I looked at them and noticed they were staring again.

"What?" I said, looking at them. "This is gonna take a little while, so I want to be comfortable. What's wrong with that?" Van Helsing shook his head and rolled his eyes, so I smacked him playfully on the arm.

"Hey!" he shouted, looking miffed. He went to shove me back, but Carl cleared his throat meaningfully.

"Oh! I'm sorry Carl," I said blushing a little, "Please continue."

"Right. As I was _trying_ to explain..." Carl began, glaring at Van Helsing.

"What? She started it!" Van Helsing said, when he caught Carl's look.

"Oh, real mature." I returned, rolling my eyes, then grinning.

"Children!" Carl interrupted, "If you could stop _flirting_ for two seconds, maybe I could have _one_ moment of your time?" I laughed at Carl's angry face, but promised to pay attention.

"Now," Carl began, for the third time, "Van Helsing and I discovered, after many, many hours of reading–"

"Incredibly long and boring hours." Van Helsing added, glancing at me and smiling.

"Gabriel!" I shouted at him in mock anger, "Carl is trying to tell me something! Besides, I'm sure I would have found it very interesting." I turned back to Carl and gestured for him to continue.

"So, after hours of reading, we discovered that a werewolf is indeed the only thing that can kill Dracula, but, Dracula has to die at dawn, right when the sun rises. When the sun touches his body, he turns to ash and is gone forever."

"That sounds easy when you say it now." I said, thinking. "Didn't Gabriel kill Dracula as a werewolf last time? Why didn't you just kill him at dawn then?"

"First of all," Carl answered, "we didn't know he had to be killed at dawn, and second, Van Helsing had to kill Dracula before midnight or he would have remained a werewolf."

"Oh, right, I remember now. So the loophole has a catch. The only way to kill Dracula is to become a werewolf and be stuck like that for the rest of your life. Unless......wait, why is a werewolf the only thing that can kill Dracula? What is it about a werewolf that Dracula is vulnerable to?" I asked.

"The werewolf venom, I would guess." Carl responded, wondering what I was getting at.

"That's what I was thinking. So what if we just took some venom and coated our weapons with it? Would it work the same way?"

"I don't see why not!" Carl said, catching on to my idea.

"Well, there you go!" I concluded. "Gabriel can kill Dracula at the right time, and not be stuck as a werewolf!"

"That is a good plan," Van Helsing started, "And I am relieved that I don't have to become a werewolf again, but there is one problem. Where are we going to get werewolf venom? After I destroyed Dracula last time, I've spent the last few years hunting down all the remaining werewolves. There aren't any left."

"Oh." I said, crestfallen. "I suppose that's good and bad." I fell silent, thinking again. Then, an idea hit me. It might've been crazy, but worth a shot, I thought at the time. "Hey, is there any more werewolf antidote?"

"I imagine Dracula might have some here still, why?" Carl asked, confused.

"It's simple. If I could isolate the ingredients and elements in the antidote, perhaps I can create the venom itself!"

"How could you do that?" Van Helsing asked, incredulous.

"It might take time, but it would be just like working a math problem backwards. Start with the solution, and solve for the products!"

"Yes, but are you really qualified do to something like that? I mean, do you know what you're talking about?" Carl asked.

"Know what I'm talking about?!" I repeated, almost shouting in my excitement. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. "Of course I know what I'm talking about! I'm one of the youngest leading scientists, in my time, in both chemistry and biology! With the right equipment, I'm confident that I could do it." I smiled broadly at Carl and Van Helsing.

"Really? Why didn't you tell us you're such an important scientist? I had no idea. Well, it's definitely a plan." Van Helsing said, studying me with new respect and admiration. "Andrea, if you think you can do this, you'll need to stay here and find the antidote. Get whatever amount you need, but be ready to leave by tonight. I'm sorry you can't leave with us now, but I have no idea how long it will take to find the antidote, and we can't wait. We'll be back for you sometime tonight. Carl, do you have a small jar or something that she could use?"

I nodded in understanding, and Carl automatically reached into his robes and pulled out a small glass container, but said, "Tonight? Van Helsing, Dracula will be around. Are you sure?"

"I know," Van Helsing responded, "But unfortunately, it's the only time we have. We need to get Andrea out of here as soon as we can, Dracula or not." With that note of finality, Van Helsing stood and walked back out to the front doors, Carl and I following. We entered the main hall, and Carl handed me the jar, then kept walking out into the snow, eager to get back. Van Helsing lingered with me in the doorway, his eyes now clouded with worry.

"I hate leaving you here like this." he half-whispered, looking down, and then up at my face. I smiled.

"Please don't worry about me. I'll be fine, and everything will go according to plan. I'll see you tonight, okay?" He and I stood there for a few minutes, taking comfort in the other's presence, until Carl called for Van Helsing to hurry up. Van Helsing opened his mouth as if to say something else to me, but instead turned and shouted to Carl that he was coming. With one last look at me, he stepped out into the cold, placed his hat on his head, and walked towards Carl. I backed out of the doorway, and the door shut in front of me with a loud BOOM. Right, I thought, now, if I were an antidote, where would I hide? I started to walk down a hallway, then stopped as I remembered that Dracula was throwing that stupid ball tonight! I ran back to the door, but Van Helsing and Carl were already gone. Oh well, I guess Gabriel and Carl will have a little more to deal with than they planned on. With that final thought to myself, I shoved the ball out of my mind for now, and focused on the location of a certain antidote that needed finding.

I told you it was short and boring! Well, it's too late, you've already read it now, so review and tell me what you think! I know it kind of sucks but go easy on me! Flame if you want, but it's not that bad, is it? Jeez, I hope not, lol, but whatever. :)

Yours truly,

Gem


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Van Helsing. Duh. Okay, now that that's over…moving on…

Hey, Lady Kathrin and Countess Alana! This chappie goes out to you guys cuz you were the only ones who reviewed! Thanks for your support; it's very appreciated! (Technically, Countess Alana, you didn't _really_ review, but you begged me to update in your new chappie, which is great as usual, so I think it counts, lol) Thanks again you guys and I hope you like this chappie too! More Drac! (grins evilly)

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That night, I was preparing for the ball and my hasty exit with Van Helsing if everything went according to plan. I had spent most of the day searching the castle (it was, in fact, a _very_ large castle) and had finally found the antidote, high in a secluded tower. It couldn't have been farther away from where I started searching, but you know what they say: It's always in the last place you look. Anyway, I filled the vial Carl had given me, made my way back to my room, and began putting on the dress I was being forced to wear. I hid the vial under my pillow in my room, praying that there would be time to retrieve it later, as there was no place I could hide it on me. After that, it took me at least twenty minutes to figure out how the dress was supposed to go, what with all the ties, numerous skirt layers, and the corset, of course. Like I knew how _that _was going to work. As I said earlier, I'm not really a dress kinda girl, especially not in 1891. By the time I had the dress part-way on, night had fallen, and it was getting increasingly darker outside. I was trying to tie the corset up from behind, which is very hard to do when you can't see what you're doing, when the door suddenly swung open startling me. Dracula appeared in the doorway, walked in, and shut the door behind him.

"Well," I said, still frustrated from my fruitless efforts with the corset, "at least you used the door this time. Nothing like using the conventional way of entering a room." I turned back around and continued to fiddle with the laces of the corset.

"Andrea. Still as charming as ever I see. I'm glad your stay here hasn't caused you any lasting discomfort. You seem to be having some trouble. Here, let me help you." Dracula walked up behind me and took the laces.

"I haven't had much experience with these, being from the 21st Century and all. Corsets aren't really in fashion, you know." I breathed inward sharply as Dracula pulled the first few rows of laces tight. It wasn't _too_ tight, but it was certainly tighter than anything I'd ever worn. With each row of lacing the corset became tighter around my rib cage, seriously diminishing my lung capacity. "Vladislaus," I whispered, unable to breathe too deeply, as Dracula tied the last row, "It's so tight I can barely breathe. Couldn't you loosen it a little?"

"Don't be silly, my dear. It's all part of the style. There," he said turning me around to face him, "you look stunning. Absolutely ravishing. But not quite finished." He walked me over to the armoire and opened the door so I could look in the mirror. I stood there, trying to find a comfortable way to breathe without passing out, and studied my reflection. The dress was very flattering, not too bad a color, it actually looked good with my dark curls. And the corset did make me look much thinner around my waist, just the way I'd so often wished I looked naturally, except now I couldn't get enough oxygen. Dracula left my side and went over to the dresser. I heard him open a drawer, and then he came back with a pair of white gloves, a necklace, and some earrings. He took my hands and slipped the gloves on. They were those fancy gloves that go all the way up to the elbow. Then he put on the necklace, still standing behind me. It was a gold chain Y-necklace, with rubies that sparkled when they caught the light. I stood there the whole time as if in a trance, barely moving, watching as the necklace seemed to put itself on in the reflection of the mirror. He added the earrings; they were also gold, and had small red feathers hanging down off them. Finally, he reached into a dark corner of the armoire and pulled out a gorgeous pair of red high-heeled shoes. He handed them to me, and I stepped into them, not even thinking about it. He looked at my reflection, then seemed to remember something and walked back to the dresser. He returned quickly with the brush I had used earlier and some gold combs. I could feel him behind me, deftly brushing my hair up and affixing it with the combs, leaving a ringlet down on either side of my face, but I couldn't see him in the mirror.

"There," he said softly, standing behind me, his hands on my bare shoulders, "Perfect." I could feel his eyes upon me, but only my eyes were visible as I stared at the mirror. I could sense the fact that he was looking into my eyes through the mirror, and I couldn't help but stare back, entranced by his cold, piercing gaze. His eyes held neither light nor warmth, but they had a strange, bottomless depth to them, a vast filled emptiness, like so much nothing. Dracula's hands slid down my back and rested around my waist, then moved to my stomach and pulled me gently back towards him. I'm leaning again, I thought to myself dully, and I closed my eyes, partly to block out the feeling of Dracula's chill stare, and partly because I was, I hate to admit it, comfortable there. The corset was making me slightly dizzy, and all I wanted to do was lie down and relax. With Dracula's arms wrapped protectively around me, I felt like I could've stood there forever. My eyes were still closed when I felt his head move next to mine. I reclined my head back into his chest, but my eyes flared open when I felt Dracula's mouth on my ear. He slowly moved down to my neck, coming so close but not actually biting. I gave a half-hearted attempt to pull away, but, with his arms and the corset tight around my waist and the effects of his spell still upon me, I gave up quickly. Both Dracula's spell and the tight corset left me clouded, dizzy, not as sharply aware of my surroundings. It was easier just to relax and close my eyes again, rather than fight to stay alert. I was suddenly tired, and Dracula's motions on my neck felt so good, soothing, and enthralling.

He stopped abruptly and my eyelids fluttered open. "Come," he whispered, taking me by the hand and leading me to the door, "all my other guests are waiting. We wouldn't want to disappoint them." Then he opened the door and led me down the stairs to the main hall.

At the end of the stairs, we stopped, just before the entrance to the hall. I could see the hall from where I stood; there were flags and colorful tapestries all about, and floating candles high above. The candles were black, and seemed to take away as much light as they gave off, leaving the room looking dim, yet bright enough to see clearly. There were gaily-dressed people everywhere, some dancing to the slow eerie music playing, some just standing around the perimeter of the room whispering. They seemed like normal people, but, as I looked into the eyes of the guests closest to me, I saw the same hollow and chill look as Dracula's. These people aren't quite human, I realized, but had no time for further thought. At that moment, Dracula and I walked into the hall, his arm around my waist. The music stopped, and all the other guests looked up at us and began applauding softly and politely. Dracula led me to the center of the dance floor, weaving in and around groups of people as if he were showing me off. When we arrived, he turned to face me and reached for my hand, his other hand still around my waist. Other couples gathered around us preparing to dance. Dracula looked at me and whispered, "Would you care to dance?"

Before I could open my mouth to reply that I didn't know how, whether I wanted to or not, the music began and I was whisked off. The dance was a slow, easy waltz, but I'd never been ballroom dancing before! Yet, I knew all the steps. When to turn, when to step, when to spin. With Dracula guiding me, I became less afraid that I would fall or trip. I relaxed a little, and tried to take a better look around. I couldn't see much because of all the whirling colors and couples dancing nearby, but I could tell that the huge front doors weren't locked or covered by anything. That's a relief, I thought, wondering when Van Helsing and Carl would make their appearance. Dracula pulled me closer, drawing my attention away from the door and back to him.

"You are a wonderful dancer, Andrea." Dracula said to me. The dance was slow enough to allow conversation while moving. "And so beautiful. You are perfect."

"Perfect for what?" I asked, becoming slowly entranced again by his voice and eyes. Dracula just smiled secretively. We continued dancing, then Dracula said, "I hope you're having a good time. You are, after all, the guest of honor. And I always celebrate when I take another–" Dracula was cut short by a loud banging as the front doors flew open. Both Dracula and I, as well as all the other guests, looked up in surprise to see Van Helsing, followed closely by Carl, enter the hall.

Dracula, however, didn't seem too surprised. "Van Helsing! How nice of you to join us. I had a feeling you would come here tonight."

Van Helsing ignored Dracula's comments. "Andrea!" he shouted when he saw me in Dracula's arms. "Let go of her, you vile–" he was stopped by Dracula's next words.

"Now, now, Gabriel, none of that. Besides, doesn't this look familiar? Here I am, with the woman you love once again, except this time, you're too late. You can't save her now, Gabriel. But at least she won't die by your hand, unlike our dearly departed Anna." Dracula laughed evilly at the pain on Van Helsing's face. Then his laugh turned into a frightening cry as he turned towards me, his teeth growing into huge fangs. Before I had time to react, I had been reclined in Dracula's arms, and he was drawing rapidly closer towards my neck.

With a sudden realization I knew what was happening, but by now, I was powerless to stop it. "NOOO!" I heard Van Helsing cry, and I could see him out of the corner of my eye, running towards Dracula and I, his revolver out and aimed at us. Just as Dracula's fangs pierced my neck, two shots rang out and Dracula was knocked away from me. Van Helsing was there in time to catch me from falling, and I looked over to see Dracula lying on the floor a few feet away, two bullet holes in his chest. As I watched, the holes closed up instantly, then he opened his eyes and started to stand. "Come on!" Van Helsing shouted, pulling me away down a hallway with Carl running close behind. We ducked into a room and locked the door behind us, barricading it with a bookshelf near the door. "Quick, Andrea, is there another way out of here?" Van Helsing asked, looking about. We could hear Dracula's piercing cry of rage echo down the hall, and then a huge tumult of shouts and screams as Dracula's vampire guests began to look for us. We were safe for the moment, but who knew how long that would last.

"Andrea?" Van Helsing asked again; I still hadn't answered his question.

"I–" I tried to reply, but collapsed onto my side on the floor with dizziness and fatigue. The corset was making it hard enough to breathe, and after running down the hall, I couldn't get enough oxygen to save my life, literally. There were also two small, steady streams of blood running down my neck from where Dracula had pierced my skin.

"My God, Andrea!" exclaimed Carl, who had seen me fall. "Van Helsing, come here!" Both he and Van Helsing crouched over me. I was barely breathing, trying to gasp for air, and little black spots began to cloud my vision. I was dimly aware of Carl and Van Helsing's movements and speech above me. "She's not breathing!" Carl said, worriedly. "I think it's her dress. Loosen it!" Van Helsing, who was facing the back of my dress, quickly undid all the ties and lacing. I gasped as I huge breath of air rushed into my lungs. I rolled onto my back and lay there panting as my vision slowly cleared. The combs in my hair had fallen out and my curls lay everywhere in a mess about my head. One of my hands was pressed against my neck and Carl noticed the blood leaking out through my fingers. He grabbed a cloth from inside his robes, moved my hand, and pressed the cloth to my neck, soaking up the blood. I took the cloth from Carl and held it in place.

"Thank you." I managed, then looked up at Van Helsing. The relief in his eyes was obvious and I smiled weakly.

"You have impeccable timing." I whispered, making Van Helsing smile. He put his hand in my hair behind my head and bent over like he was going to kiss me, when suddenly there was a banging at the door. We froze and listened as the banging and shouting outside the door became increasingly louder.

"Time to go." Van Helsing said, helping me stand. "Are you alright?" He stared at me anxiously.

"Yes, I'm okay," I replied, "The worst of the bleeding has stopped, and I can actually breathe now that this damn corset is looser." I reached behind me and tied the strings together to keep the dress from coming undone, but I made sure they weren't nearly as tight as before.

"Alright, we need to find a way out of here and back to the front doors. Andrea, do you know a way?"

"Wait!" I cried, "The antidote! It's up in my room. I need it if I'm to create the werewolf venom."

Van Helsing sighed. "That complicates things a bit. Can you lead us there, then?"

"Um, I think so......follow me!" We ran through another doorway and down a long curving hall, just as the vampires on the other side of the room broke through the door. "This way!" I shouted, and we ducked down another hall and up a flight of stairs. After a few more hallways and another two flights of stairs, we arrived at a hall with my room at the other end. We had lost the vampires for now, but I could still hear their shrieks echo throughout the cavernous castle. I ran into my room ahead of Van Helsing and Carl and grabbed the antidote out from under my pillow. Once that was safely tucked into a pocket of the pants I had kept on under my dress, I hurriedly grabbed my shirt, pulled it on over the corset, and slid the dress off underneath. I dropped the dress unceremoniously on the floor just as Carl and Van Helsing ran in. They shut the door behind them, but I could hear the mass of vampires gathering outside the door. Why aren't they coming in, I wondered, the door has no lock!

Before any of us could come up with our next move, or even catch our breath, I heard a chill voice behind me. "Going somewhere?"

I gasped in sudden recognition, but faster than I could turn around to look, Dracula had come up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, imprisoning me in his embrace. Van Helsing advanced towards us rapidly, a look of deep hatred on his face, while Carl backed further away.

"I wouldn't, if I were you." Dracula said, and Van Helsing stopped in his tracks when he noticed Dracula's growing fangs dangerously close to my neck. I stood rigid in sudden fear, my eyes wide and my heart racing. With me in front of Dracula, Van Helsing couldn't get a clear shot at him, and Dracula wasn't about to let go of me. We were at an impasse, stuck in this room, with vampires outside and the King of the Damned himself inside. Dracula smiled evilly in the knowledge that we were trapped. He walked backwards, pulling me with him, putting some distance between Van Helsing and us, all the while nuzzling my open neck but never taking his eyes off of Van Helsing. I could feel the slight pressure of his fangs against my skin. I closed my eyes and swallowed, trying but failing to keep a hold on my emotions. One part of me was scared stiff, while the other didn't ever want the Count to stop.

As my mixed emotions were warring inside, Van Helsing had begun speaking, so Dracula had momentarily ceased his motions on my neck. "Let her go." Van Helsing demanded, rage burning in his eyes.

"Why?" Dracula asked, "Does it bother you to see her in my arms? Why is it that you always make the mistake of loving someone, only to lose them? Like poor Anna, for instance. She loved you, but you killed her, didn't you?" The pain on Van Helsing's face was almost too much to bear. The rage in his eyes had turned to deep sorrow, and suddenly, he collapsed onto the floor, his head in his hands. Dracula laughed maliciously at the crumpled figure in front of him. I was torn, afraid to move, but aching to comfort Van Helsing. I looked up when I noticed movement across the room. Carl had opened all the curtains, and stood smiling smugly at Dracula. Dracula's laugh turned into a shriek when he saw through the windows that dawn was fast approaching. With one last hateful glance at Van Helsing, Dracula let go of me and vanished, his shriek echoing silently in my ears.

As soon as I was released I rushed over to Van Helsing, only to see him stand up, acting perfectly fine. "Gabriel?" I asked incredulously, "Are you alright?" I put my hand on his shoulder and looked worriedly up into his face.

"What? Oh, yes of course I'm alright." Van Helsing answered gruffly, hurriedly blinking his eyes.

"So....You mean.....you were just faking?" I asked doubtfully; his eyes seemed a little redder than usual.

"Um, yes, wasn't it obvious?" Van Helsing looked at me then quickly looked away. "We should get going. Come on."

"Sure," I said, removing my hand from his shoulder, still studying him. Van Helsing turned and walked out of the room, and Carl came up next to me. I was almost positive Van Helsing had been lying, but now wasn't the time to confront him about it. It really didn't matter anyway. I stopped thinking about it and turned to Carl instead.

"That was pretty quick thinking back there, with the curtains," I said, "Thanks." Carl smiled, brimming with pride, then frowned as he looked at Van Helsing's retreating figure.

"I think he was lying," Carl stated to me quietly.

"So do I," I replied, "But it doesn't matter now. The point is, we have the antidote, Dracula and his vampires are gone, and my neck has stopped gushing blood everywhere." I smiled weakly at my attempt to somehow lighten the situation and handed Carl's now bloody cloth back to him. "Now let's get out of here," I concluded, following Van Helsing, "I can't stay in this awful castle another minute." Carl nodded in agreement and hurried after me.

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Well, there you go, Chapter 8, updated as promised. Sorry it took so long…I've been kinda busy lately. :) So what do you think? I know, the ball scene was a little, okay a lot, like the movie, but it's my favorite scene in the movie, so could ya' blame me?! Hope you enjoyed, and more to come ASAP!

Gem


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** It pains me each time I type it, but I still don't own Van Helsing! Or Dracula either and that's the real loss, lol.

Hey everybody! I am really sorry it took me a while to update last time, so I made a special effort to update sooner this time. YAY! And so many thanks to all my awesome, AWESOME reviewers out there!

**Christine Marquez**: I'm glad you found it highly entertaining, lol. This chappie has its entertaining moments too! And again, I'm sorry for the updating delay. :)

**L'Tara:** YAY! A new reviewer! Your review was the one of the longest yet and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, lol. Yeah, Drac was cool, but he is, after all, the bad guy, so he had to turn evil sometime! I'm sorry you got confused about the pants/dress thing last chappie. Andrea had pants on under the dress, but they didn't have pockets. Probably cuz the only clothes Drac had for her were too tight for pockets, lol!

**Luthien Anwamane:** Yup, gotta love the ball scene! It was the best by far. Drac freaks of the world, UNITE!!! Lol.

**Lady Kathrin:** No problem with the dedication thing…you were after all, the only one to review! I'm glad you liked the chappie and I hope you like this one as well! And yes, Drac is very hot and romantic, but unfortunately, he's not in this chappie. Don't hurt me!! Please! Lol

**Fox of the Nova:** YAY!! Another new reviewer! Your review was the longest I've had and it made me laugh, lol. Here's more, just like you asked, so don't hurt me! I'm so glad you enjoy my story, it really makes me feel appreciated, lol. Yeah, Hugh Jackman is great, and I'm sorry about the incident with your friend…It's enough to make ME cry of injustice, lol. Anyway, enjoy!

**Etherealfire:** YAY!!! ANOTHER new reviewer! You're right, that is an interesting concept, and partly inspired my story, in fact. I REALLY like Drac too, and it's great that you like their personalities and think I captured them well…one of my biggest fears as an author is OOCness, so be sure and tell me if that ever happens in my story, k? Enjoy this chappie!

Okay guys, here's the chappie you've all been waiting for and thanks again so much for all your reviews! And now, I present to you: Chapter 9!

We arrived back in Rome, and the next day, after a full night's sleep had gotten us all fully rested, Van Helsing, Carl, and I gathered in Carl's small private laboratory. I sat there looking at Carl's incredibly antiquated (by my standards) lab equipment, and my heart sank. There was no way I could do what I had imagined with these pieces of vastly out-dated technology. In my rush to find a solution to our problem, I had forgotten that none of the cutting-edge technology from home was available to me. I sighed inwardly and turned to Carl and Van Helsing, preparing to tell them the worst. I glanced at Carl and my heart sank even lower. I could tell that Carl was so proud of his laboratory; he probably had the most advanced lab equipment there was in 1891, but to me it wasn't much, and it just wasn't going to cut it. But how could I tell him that? I almost lost my nerve, but remembered that there was something much bigger than Carl's feelings at stake, something like the fate of the world and the destruction of one of the most evil creatures on Earth.

I took a deep breath, but before I had even started speaking, Van Helsing noticed my grim expression. He immediately frowned and asked, "What's wrong?" Carl, who hadn't noticed how despondent I was, continued to smile and look fondly on his various lab stuff out on the table.

"Well," I began, directing my speech at Van Helsing, "I forgot that I don't have the equipment from my time available to me. In my rush to formulate a plan, I stupidly overlooked that fact. Now it's plain, to me anyway, that this equipment simply won't work. It's too old."

Carl, who apparently had only heard my last two sentences, suddenly chimed in exclaiming, "Won't work? Too old?! What are you talking about? All my equipment is in the best working order, and it's the most recent and modern equipment money can buy! Are you saying that–"

"What Andrea means," Van Helsing cut in smoothly, "is that the technology of 1891 is not advanced enough to do what she had originally planned." I glanced gratefully at him, then turned and nodded at Carl.

"Oh. I see now. That makes sense." Carl responded, not nearly as defensive as he was a moment before. "But, what do we do now?"

Carl's question hung in the air as we all realized that now we had no plan at all for destroying Dracula. All our hard work, wasted. I sat on a stool near the table and looked forlornly at the floor, while Van Helsing began angrily pacing in front of me. Carl however, stood stock still. He seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, after about ten minutes of silence, Carl shouted, "I've got it!" and ran over to a small corner cabinet mumbling to himself the whole time, "Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? Stupid of me..." His sudden movement startled Van Helsing and me; we exchanged a confused look and simultaneously walked over to Carl. He was frantically searching the tiny cabinet, moving things about in a hurried and careless fashion. I looked at the outside of one of the open doors and saw a sign saying, "_Dangerous But Possibly Useful Items From Some Silly Mission Or Another. Do Not Enter Unless Absolutely Necessary!_"

It was obvious that Carl had made the sign; I gestured silently to Van Helsing, pointed to the sign, and raised an eyebrow. Van Helsing smiled slightly and shrugged in response. Just then, Carl straightened, and with a triumphant "Aha!" he proudly produced a small glass vial containing a slightly yellowish clear liquid.

"What is it?" I asked.

Seeing that Van Helsing and I clearly did not understand, Carl explained, "It's werewolf venom. I just remembered. I got it from Velken after we found him during our last trip to Transylvania three years ago. I had forgotten I had it until just now." Carl smiled broadly, pleased with himself for remembering now. I, on the other hand, was not so pleased.

Upon first hearing Carl's explanation, my face had brightened considerably. Then a new thought had dawned on me. "Wait a minute," I asked, getting more indignant by the minute, "Do you mean to tell me, that I had to spend an extra 24 hours in that God-awful place with that...that...that monster, wander around that castle for an entire day trying to find the antidote, nearly get killed or worse, and you had just what we needed, safe, right here in Rome the whole time?! Are you kidding me?! Unbelievable! Jeez, Carl, who's side are you on?!" I threw up my hands in utter frustration, spun around and stalked back to my stool. Carl was, by now, cowering behind Van Helsing in complete terror. Van Helsing abandoned Carl and walked over to me. He took my hands in his and made me look up into his eyes.

"Hey," he said; his voice made me feel calmer, "Relax. Everything's fine. In fact, it's better because now you don't have to make the venom, we already have some. And, thanks to you, we also have the antidote in case anything goes wrong. So just calm down, okay? I mean look at poor Carl, you probably knocked 5 years off his life, he's so scared." That made me chuckle; Carl did look terrified. I smiled up at Van Helsing, and his eyes smiled back at me playfully. My heart skipped a beat. Why did that happen? I pushed the thought from my mind and stood up, withdrawing my hands from Van Helsing's.

I turned to Carl. "Once again," I said, grinning, "I apologize for exploding at you. It's just...it all seemed too ironic. Forgive me?"

Carl smiled back. "Of course. And I apologize as well for not thinking of it sooner. I really should make a list of all my stuff..."

"Yeah," I agreed, looking around at Carl's cluttered laboratory, "Then maybe the next time you have to save the world there won't be so much hassle." We all laughed, but quickly became serious as we sat down to plan our next move.

Since we now had the werewolf venom (no thanks to Carl.....well, maybe some thanks, but not much) the next step was to coat our weapons with it, and attack Dracula. Believe me, it was easier said than done. Just getting the venom on our weapons was difficult, never mind the "attack Dracula" part. For starters, we couldn't use any silver weapons; silver and werewolf venom just don't mix, as you can imagine. Why Van Helsing didn't realize this beforehand I can only attribute to fatigue, and the fact that Carl was temporarily out of the room, thus unable to stop Van Helsing from trying something common sense screams is just stupid.

We had returned to Carl's laboratory after Van Helsing and Carl had collected all the weapons they could find. A thought seemed to occur to Carl as he looked at our weapons pile so he left the room for a moment, and Van Helsing proceeded to pick up a silver stake from the pile of various weapons we had amassed, take a cloth, pour some of the venom onto the cloth, and rub it on the stake. I didn't see this until it was too late, and by that time Carl had returned. The same instant Carl walked through the doorway, Van Helsing let out a shout and dropped the stake and cloth on the floor. We all watched as the chemical reactions from the silver and the venom caused the cloth to bust into flame, the venom hissing and spitting like acid.

"Van Helsing! What were you thinking?!" Carl shouted. "Why can't I leave the room for 2 seconds without you trying to burn a hole through the floor?! Didn't it occur to you that silver and werewolf venom are a bad combination? And you call yourself a Monster Slayer." Carl sighed in exasperation and picked up the stake. It was unharmed, but the cloth and venom were burned away. "Try not to waste any more of what little of this stuff we have, alright?"

Van Helsing, miffed at having been rebuked by Carl, even if it was a stupid thing to do, tried to give a rebuke of his own.

"Well, maybe if you didn't leave the room all the time–"

"Leave the room?! Van Helsing, I left to go get some weapons that _weren't_ silver!" Carl rolled his eyes and picked up the steel swords and crossbow arrows he had dropped on the floor.

"I'll just pull out all the silver weapons we gathered then, shall I?" I said, anxious to break the tension. The last thing we needed was division amongst ourselves. Van Helsing grumbled to himself for a minute and sat down on a nearby stool, while I walked over to the pile and pulled out all the stakes, the revolvers that shot silver bullets, and the few silver swords that were there.

When Van Helsing had calmed down a bit, we laid out all the weapons and selected a couple for each of us, so we wouldn't waste time coating all of them. This also proved a difficult task. There was no problem for Van Helsing; he instantly grabbed his tojo blades, the crossbow, a short sword, and his two favorite revolvers. Carl and I were another story. Of course Carl had never carried a real weapon, except to give to Van Helsing, and he had never actually used a weapon at all. In the end it was resolved that if we were to give Carl a weapon, he would probably do more damage to himself than anyone else, so we decided to have him act, as usual, as the trusty and helpful side-kick friar. Once we were resolved on the issue, Carl promptly sat down at a table and started to coat Van Helsing's various weapons with venom. I didn't know what we were going to do for me. Here I am from a century in the future; I'd never used a gun of any kind, and obviously I had no clue what to do with a sword. But I couldn't just leave Van Helsing to fight alone (not that I thought he couldn't handle it, I mean, it's not like he hadn't gone up against Dracula before), but I would've felt like useless baggage. The thought made me shudder, so I picked up a sword to see if I could learn _something_ before we faced Dracula.

Van Helsing perked up with interest when he saw me grab the sword. "Do you know how to use that?" he asked, standing. I shook my head, but something felt strange....different. The sword's hilt felt natural in my hand, like it had always been there, and when I tried a few experimental slashes, Van Helsing raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You're good. You have excellent form. Are you sure you've never used a sword before?"

"I swear, I've never even held one before."

"Could've fooled me. C'mon, let's go a round. See how good you are." He grabbed another sword from the pile. I was obviously nervous as I turned to face him, but something inside me told me not to worry, I knew what I was doing. And suddenly, I did! I knew everything. I leapt at Van Helsing, and instantly we fell into a rhythm, an age old dance full of weaving, thrusting, parrying, dodging, and spinning. Our swords were streaks of steel as we fought, and I knew every step. I never missed a beat, and never left an opening for Van Helsing to break through. Carl stopped to watch, and before I had even fully realized it, I had backed Van Helsing into a corner, knocked his sword from his hand, and pinned him with my sword at his throat. Van Helsing's shock was even greater than mine. We stood looking at each other with wide eyes, breathing slightly heavily from the exertion, when I recovered from my shock and stepped away, lowering my sword.

"My God," Carl breathed, "Andrea, how- when- Van Helsing is the best swordsman in Rome!" I turned to look over at him, and he gasped. "Anna." was all he managed to whisper before simply staring at me open-mouthed. I then understood why Van Helsing was so shocked. He was still standing against the wall where I'd pinned him, and it wasn't only because I'd disarmed him in all of about 5 minutes, it was because with the sword in my hand and the few curls that had fallen into my face, I must've looked more like Anna than ever. I sighed and put the sword back down on the table. My motions finally woke Van Helsing from his stupor, and he blinked several times and avoided my eyes.

"Well," Carl began by breaking the silence, "I suppose this proves it."

"Proves what?" Van Helsing asked, eager to change the subject.

"That Andrea is indeed Anna's modern reincarnation. Only Anna would have been able to disarm Van Helsing so quickly. Most sword _masters_ can't win a duel against Van Helsing."

While Carl was talking, I wasn't really listening. Instead I was thinking and running through my mixed emotions. At first I felt amazement, who knew I could fight like that! Then, I felt depressed. It wasn't my fault I looked like Anna, but somehow the guy I actually admitted to myself I might be falling for could only think of her when he looked at me. I didn't hate her, how could I? I'd never even known her. It was just depressing. Someone's calling my name shook me from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I asked, not sure what was going on.

"I said," Carl replied, "do you want to try using a revolver?"

"Um...." I thought about this. Anna must've been an excellent shot, but did I really want to shoot a gun? "First of all," I began, "I've never used a gun before, and second of all, there is no way I'm shooting a gun without hearing and eye protectors on." Van Helsing and Carl looked at me.

"Without what?" Carl asked, confused.

"Never mind." I said, remembering once again that I was not in the year 2004.

"So, does that mean you don't want to try a revolver?" Carl asked.

"Yeah, I guess I'd rather not." I said, deciding.

"What about daggers or throwing knives?" Van Helsing inquired while picking up a few.

"God, you people are violent. Isn't a sword enough?" I asked.

"Possibly." Van Helsing answered, "though it's nice to have a variety of weapons at your disposal." I could see the logic in this and relented.

"Okay, fine. I see your point. Give me a knife." I took a throwing knife from Van Helsing and was about to throw it.

"Wait!" Van Helsing shouted, before I unleashed the knife. "What are you aiming for? If we don't know your target, how are we supposed to know how good you are?" Another valid point. Ugh, I hate feeling stupid.

"Okay, see that crack?" I asked, pointing to a small crack between to blocks of stone in one of the walls. "That's my target." Van Helsing raised his eyebrows again but stayed silent. I turned back to the wall, and threw the knife with all my might. When I looked, the knife was buried half-way into the wall right in the center of the crack, vibrating slightly back and forth. Carl let out a low whistle and Van Helsing walked over and wrenched the knife from the wall.

"Well, that's decided. Carl coat up a sword and some knives for this little warrior." Turning to me I saw new admiration in his eyes. "You're...good. Really good."

"You mean Anna's good." I said, slightly angry that all this talent wasn't really mine.

"Well, I..." Van Helsing's voice trailed off as he stood there, not knowing how to reply. The silence grew thick and oppressive as the weight of my statement hung in the air. Finally, I turned back to Van Helsing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean....I'm just.....never mind." I finished lamely, knowing that I couldn't describe how I was feeling, especially to him. "How's it coming Carl?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, well, I'm almost finished. Good thing too. We're almost out of venom." He coated up one last throwing knife, then set it on the table with the other weapons to dry.

"Okay, now that we have weapons that will actually work against Dracula, what's our next step?" I asked Van Helsing, sitting down on the stool again.

"Alright, we know Dracula has to be killed at dawn, so there's no point in attacking before midnight. That may even be too early. Also, we need to be distracting enough to keep Dracula from noticing the approaching dawn until it's too late. One last thing. We need to make sure Dracula is outside at dawn when the sun touches him, otherwise everything else is pointless."

"Sounds simple enough." I responded sarcastically when he had finished. Carl gave me a strange look.

"Are you insane? You were listening, right?" I rolled my eyes. Okay, not too ift-sway on the uptake-ay. (A/N: That's pig latin for 'swift on the uptake' in case any of you got lost there.)

"I was being sarcastic." I said, then turned to Van Helsing. "About that distraction. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Well, you're not going to like it, but....." he stared pointedly at me.

"Oh no." I replied, catching his drift. "There is no way you're gonna get _me_ to distract that undead monster. No way no how. It was cool meeting him in person, but he's a lot scarier than I thought he'd be. He didn't seem all that scary in the movie, he was just like this really cool villain who everybody hates and loves at the same time. It's hard to describe. It's like you're both attracted and repelled by him, and you don't know how to feel about him. Maybe it's because he's kind of bi-polar, or maybe it's just the fact that he's like the Devil Incarnate. Or maybe–"

"Enough with the character analysis!" Van Helsing cut in. I guess I had been kind of rambling. I do that sometimes. I just sort of space out and voice my thoughts aloud. "Will you do it or not?"

"What do you want me to do? Thrust myself at Dracula like one of his lustful brides? I'm not that good an actress!"

"I want you to cooperate and get the job done, however you have to."

I sighed. "Fine. I guess I'll come up with something. I'll ad lib it when we get there. But it's like leading him into a trap. I feel guilty about it."

"Guilty?! Are you kidding me? You're the one who's bi-polar! Just a second ago you were saying how awful he is, and now you feel guilty about fooling him. Come on!"

"I'm sorry! I just don't like....leading people on, okay? Relax, I'm over it. I said I'll do it and I will, so stop yelling." I took a deep breath and tried not to think about what I had just agreed to do.

"God, I'm glad that's over. You two are ridiculous." Carl stated, rolling his eyes. "Don't worry Andrea, nothing will happen to you. Everything will go smoothly and Dracula will be gone forever before you know it."

I nodded. "And I know that's our main concern, but, have either of you thought about how I'm going to get home after all this? God, it seems like I've been here forever."

Carl opened his mouth. "I think God will just send you back the way He brought you here, but I really haven't thought about it."

"That makes sense I suppose. Anyway, it doesn't matter right now." Van Helsing, who had gotten up and was pacing in thought, suddenly called my name. I turned my head quickly to look at him and as I did so, the partially healed skin over the two bite marks on my neck pulled apart, causing me to wince.

"Are you alright?" Van Helsing asked when he noticed my expression. I put my hand up to my neck and nodded.

"Yeah, it's nothing. What were you going to say?"

Van Helsing came over to me and moved my hand to study the two puncture wounds. "It doesn't matter. You know, I think you'll have a scar from these, I'm sorry to say. They might never go away. Look, they've started bleeding a little again."

"Why am I not surprised?" I said, sighing. I stood up. "Alright, what time is it?"

"Only about mid-afternoon." Carl answered. "We should probably eat something and get some rest in preparation for tonight. We'll be up late. Until dawn in theory."

"Good point, I am a little hungry. Where do you keep the food around here?" I asked as my stomach growled loudly. Van Helsing smiled.

"Follow me. We'll get you something."

And there you have it! A nice long chappie! I hope you liked it and be sure to review please and thank you! Oh, by the way, has anyone seen that movie _Phantom of the Opera_? I saw it Friday night with my friend and I LOVED it! I thought it was really good. Okay, just thought I'd share…did anyone else see it? Anywho, review soon and I'll update soon! Byes!

Gem


	10. Chapter 10 could my titles be more origi...

**Disclaimer:** (sigh) I really get tired of this…see above chappies please! Trust me, nothing has changed since then. If it had, I certainly wouldn't be here now, lol. Sorry guys, nothing personal, and no hard feelings, right?

**A/N:** Hey there everyone! Sorry I haven't updated, I didn't realize it had been so long. Anyway, I was busy with midterms twitch and typing up the rest of this story. So, it's all finished now I just have to post it. Only 3 more chappies after this one! cries It's kinda sad. But, I left it open for a sequel so if you guys want one, I might write it…I haven't really thought about it yet. But wait until you've read the whole thing before you tell me, k? Alrighty, and now for my lovely personal responses to all my lovely reviewers. I LOVE YOU GUYS!! Lol.

**Forever Starcrossed:** YAY! A new reviewer! Wow, I'm so glad you like my story so much, lol. Your story sounds good…interesting. If you ever post it, let me know, k? And don't worry; I won't accuse you of plagiarism, lol.

**Countess Alana:** Hey! Yeah, no problem about the dedication thing, you guys deserved it! (My faithful reviewers, lol.) Do you two know each other, like outside of fanfic? Anyway, here's another chappie for you…enjoy! AND UPDATE YOUR STORY ASAP!!! I'm dying over here waiting for chap. 23!

**Luthien Anwamane:** The character analysis was fun, lol. Unfortunately, Drac's not in this chappie either cringes (Don't hurt me!) but he's coming up in the next one. Please don't use your mind control techniques on me! And anyway you're too late because I've already written the rest of the story. So nyeh-nyeh! J/k, j/k. Um, about Drac dying…here's the thing. I don't want to give it away, so please just be patient with me and read the whole thing. Cuz, at the end of chappie 12 it might seem like he's dead, but chappie 13 explains! So don't get all mad at me at the end of chap 12, k? And I did leave it open for a sequel, which would of course, have Drac in it because you can't have a VH story without Drac, right? So he's never _really _dead. So basically, don't hate me. And review please! (Could this response be longer? Feel special.)

**Charlie Quill: **YAY! Another new reviewer! Glad you liked the bi-polar bit, lol. Hope you like this chappie too.

**Fox of the Nova:** Yup, I am now practically addicted to _Phantom of the Opera_! I absolutely loved it! I bought the soundtrack, and that's pretty much all I've listened to for the past week and a half, lol. Have you seen it yet? If you haven't, you've got to! Oh, and there's more Hugh here so don't have a panic attack or anything, lol. Enjoy, and review please!

**Christine Marquez:** I have written more, as you requested. The soon part I'm not so sure about, lol. Sorry. But I hope you like this chappie as much as the others! Maybe that will make up for my lack of updating…lol.

**Lady Kathrin:** You really have to see _Phantom_! Have you seen it yet? It is so good! Oh, and here's another chappie for you so you don't need to wait any longer! It's shorter though. I think…lol.

And that's about all I have to say! This chappie's short, and a little boring, but it's just building up to the final scene, you know? Okay, enjoy, review, and thank you, thank you, thank you! to all my wonderful reviewers out there. You guys ROCK!

**Chapter 10**

"Uuuhhh." I yawned, stretched, and sat up. The nap had done me good; I felt rested and ready for action. I stood and walked out of the room Van Helsing had shown me to sleep in, and down the hall to see if he and Carl were awake. I reached Carl's door first, and knocked, but there was no reply. I thought he must still be asleep, so I moved further down the hall to Van Helsing's room. I didn't even have to knock; I could hear his soft snoring through the door. I smiled to myself and went in search of some food from the kitchens.

I arrived there only to see Carl pigging out on bread and roast beef in a chair near the fireplace. I pulled up another chair and sat down next to him. "Hey. I thought you were still asleep." I said.

Carl swallowed and shook his head. "I'm a little too nervous. Couldn't sleep long. Want some?" He offered me a slice of warm bread.

"Thanks." I said, taking the slice and ripping off a piece. "What time is it?"

"Close to nightfall." Carl responded. "Is Van Helsing up yet?"

"I don't think so. He was still snoring when I walked by." I paused and stared into the fire, chewing. "Carl," I began after a moment, "I...I'm a little worried about tonight. I have no idea what to expect, we don't even have a plan! There are too many variables, too many things that could go wrong. This may come as a surprise, but I've never been in a battle with bonafide weapons with my _brother_, much less the Devil's Son. How do these things work? Do you just sort of jump in and start fighting, or what?"

Carl smiled. "Good question. Except that I'm not really the one to answer it, seeming how I usually stay as far away as possible." I laughed at that. "But don't worry," he continued, "Things just kind of, fall into place once you're there. You'll see. I seem to recall that last time, the plan was simply to kill Dracula and anything that gets in our way." I nodded, comforted by his words. Just then, Van Helsing walked up behind us. He was dressed, as usual, in his long coat with the trademark hat on his head, looking all set to walk out the door right then. I turned around at his footsteps and stood up. Carl left to get some more food and I smiled at Van Helsing. He returned the smile and at the same time picked up a lock of my hair and twirled it around his finger. I'm sure he was unaware of what he was doing, but I froze and shied away from his touch.

His smiled changed to a look of worry as he said, "What? What's wrong?" I looked down, embarrassed and apologetic.

"Dracula did the same thing." I said quietly to the floor. Color rose in my cheeks. Seriously, what was my problem? Van Helsing was _nothing_ like Dracula, why did his touching my hair bother me so much? I pushed the thought from my mind when I realized that there were tears running down my cheeks. Ugh! Stupid stress-causing girlie emotions! _Why _the hell am I suddenly just standing here crying in front of Van Helsing?! I wiped the tears from my eyes, and I felt Van Helsing's hand under my chin. He lifted my chin and made me look up at him.

"I'm sorry." he said, pain in his voice. "I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry about what Dracula's done to you, what this whole thing has done to you. But the nightmare is almost over. Tonight, we finish it."

I stood staring up at him, his hand still under my chin. "Gabriel, I..." I whispered, but then Carl came up to us.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked, still eating. Van Helsing let go of me and backed a step away.

"Well, if you're finished stuffing your face." Van Helsing said.

"I eat when I'm nervous." Carl retorted.

"Whatever. Let's just go get our weapons and start off." Van Helsing said, leading the way to Carl's lab where we'd left them.

&-&-&-&-(A/N: I'm trying to find something to symbolize a new scene that will actually show up when I post this. Just go with it, k?)

Hours later, we arrived at the abandoned Valerious manor, and of course, the door to Dracula's icy castle. It was about 4:30 AM, and the sun was due to rise at 6:08. Somehow, we had to occupy Dracula and stay alive for an hour and a half in order to kill him at sunrise. Ha, easier said than done. Much easier. "Um, guys?" I said, before Van Helsing and Carl had a chance to walk through the door. "I, personally, would feel better if we had some sort of plan of attack. Or, here's a better idea. Why don't we just wait until it's about 5:50 before even going?" Van Helsing laughed.

"Oh stop, you sound like Carl. Have faith in yourself, you'll be fine."

"Actually, Van Helsing," Carl remarked, "I kind of like that idea."

"I bet you do Carl." Van Helsing responded smiling.

"Back to my original question," I interrupted. "A plan? Any plan at all?" I looked expectantly at Van Helsing as he opened his mouth. "And don't say 'kill Dracula and anything that gets in our way'." I cut in before he could say anything. "I've heard that one already."

Van Helsing closed his mouth and shrugged. "Then I've got nothing." he said apologetically. Then he smiled. "But seriously, stop worrying. If you stand here stressing about it much longer, sunrise will have come and gone."

"Alright, fine." I reluctantly agreed, "Let's just go and get it over with." And with that, I walked through the mirrored door to Castle Dracula.

&-&-&-&-

And there you have it! I told you it was short and boring, but I guess you're just gonna have to get over it, lol! I'll try to update soon, maybe tomorrow if I have reviewer to respond to. (hint hint, wink wink, lol) I'm home alone all day tomorrow so that's a good time to update, but I wouldn't want to if I didn't have any personal responses to write! So, get reviewing already! Lol. Byes!

Gem


	11. Chapter 11 oh, another original chap tit...

**Disclaimer:** Nope. Still not mine. Big surprise.

Well, I'm updating soon this time! (For once, lol.) I actually have some free time so here's chappie 11. Another short one I'm afraid, but Drac's back! I apologize for the long waits in updating, and for the shortness of this chappie, but what can I say? There's only 2 more chappies after this one and I can't give 'em to you all at once! Well, I guess I could, but where's the fun in that?

**Lady Kathrin:** I love the fact that you love my story, lol. I told you _Phantom_ rocked! And I have heard that both the movie and the book for _Girl with a Pearl Earring_ are good, but I haven't seen the movie or read the book, so I wouldn't know. Anywho, I hope you like this chappie even though it's short, and I'll update again soon. Maybe tomorrow…

**Countess Alana:** You saw _Phantom_ on Broadway?! I HATE you! Jk, lol. It was definitely sad. Erik is such a tragic character! I cried at the end. And in the name of all that is holy, UPDATE PLEASE! Anytime now would be good, lol.

**Luthien Anwamane:** DRAC'S BACK! WOOT! I promised him so here he is! Sorry it's so short though…I feel really bad about that. I'll just have to update again soon to make me feel better then, won't I? lol I'm glad you have such faith in me…I'll try to live up to your expectations, lol. Enjoy!

**Roselynn:** A new reviewer! YAY! Your reviews made me laugh and I'm so happy you like my story. I hope you like thischappie as much as all the others!

**Christine Marquez:** Gah! Don't yell at me; I'm updating, I'm updating! And this counts as soon right? My apologies for making you wait, and for these short chappies…I really feel bad about it. Anyway, I hope you like this chappie (even though it is, once again, short) and I promise I'll update again as soon as I can. Which should be soon. In theory.

**Charlie Quill:** I appreciated your review, but I'm a little confused. Did you like that last chappie or not? It's okay if you didn't, I mean, I can't please everybody, but I couldn't tell if you were being sarcastic or not. (Looks down in embarrassment at my stupidity)

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed! Here's chappie 11 for you.

&-&-&-&-

**Chapter 11**

Walking through that mirrored wall was probably one of the weirdest sensations I've ever had in my entire life. And I've had some weird ones. It was like being held, suspended in thick JELL-O, and it felt like everything had just stopped, time, my life, everything. I couldn't hear much of anything but my own breathing echoing in my ears. That was the only way I knew I was even still alive. I think that if I hadn't kept moving forward, kept slogging through that icy gelatinous whatever it was, I would still be standing there, frozen.

And thank God Van Helsing talked me into bringing a cloak and other extra layers. When he said it was cold, he meant _cold_. You may think you know cold, but you have no idea. Wait until you've stood in the icy wind and snow in front of a gigantic castle about to face the most evil thing on the earth, then come and talk to me about cold. I could only take a few steps towards the towering castle doors before I became completely frozen by the frigid tendrils of the wind that seemed to blow right through my very being as if I were nothing. Van Helsing and Carl followed me through the door, Van Helsing boldly walking through, while Carl hung back as long as possible. Van Helsing walked up behind me, put his arm around me, and propelled me towards the doors in front of me. I don't know whether he thought I was really frozen from the cold, or whether he thought I was too afraid to walk; either way, Van Helsing seemed hell-bent on making sure I got to those doors.

We reached that enormous portal, sooner than both Carl and I had wanted, and stood there looking at it. I turned to Van Helsing. "Umm, this may be a stupid question...but how do you get in?" I looked back at the impenetrable doors in front of us.

"Well," Van Helsing began, "How did you get in?"

"Dracula transported me inside. How did you get in?"

"You let us in, remember? I almost ran you over!"

"No, not that time, of course I remember! I meant last time, with Anna!" I said, my nervousness and frustration causing me to raise my voice.

"As I recall," Carl cut in, "Van Helsing had werewolf venom in his veins, causing him to have much more strength than usual. He kind of, just picked us up and jumped over the doors through that little window there. See it?" He pointed way up to the top of the entryway.

"Great." I said, "I don't know about you, but I don't think Van Helsing is up for any Superman tricks right now." (A/N: You know, 'leaps tall buildings in a single bound'? Superman? Clark Kent? Oh, forget it, never mind.)

"So, what do we do?" Carl asked, half curious and half hopeful that this meant we could go home.

"I'm working......on it." Van Helsing began, when suddenly the doors began to open by themselves. We walked in, Van Helsing leading the way. Then, the doors just as suddenly slammed shut behind us. Typical, I thought. What else would they do? But there was no more time for thought because in the center of the hall where we stood was Dracula, waiting for us, it seemed.

"Gabriel, so nice to see you again. And Andrea, I knew you couldn't stay away." Dracula chuckled and walked towards us. While our attention was focused on him, a darker shadow moved within the shadows to our left, then leaped out at us. It was a werewolf! Apparently Dracula had been busy with his old hobbies again. Well, no matter, I thought, as the werewolf stood snarling in front of us. Van Helsing will quickly dispatch it and that will be that. I glanced at Van Helsing out of the corner of my eye, and a creepy feeling came over me as I saw the worry on his face. What, what's the problem? Then, the shocking realization hit me like ice cold water. We had no silver! Not a scrap of it! We had left it all because we couldn't put the venom on it! All this passed through my mind so quickly, I barely had time to process it before I heard Van Helsing's voice.

"Run, Andrea!" I took off to the right down a hallway running as fast as I could. I could hear something behind me, and assumed it was Carl and Van Helsing. But I soon came to realize that they had gone another way with the werewolf following them, when I ducked into a room, turned around and saw Dracula standing calmly behind me. He smiled, but his cold eyes held no happiness or mirth. He advanced towards me, and then I remembered, my sword! I whipped it out and faced him, trying to hide my fear.

Dracula began to laugh. "When will you people learn? You can't kill me, you can't even hurt me. I'm–"

"Already dead. I know." I spun around and flashed the blade toward his face. He screamed, an unearthly, horrible sound from the depths of hell, and when I looked, there was a slash down his cheek from my sword that was already starting to fester and burn. Dracula looked up at me, once again in control of himself, but now his eyes were filled with anger. His cheek had only partially healed and he touched it gingerly.

"Werewolf venom on your blade. How clever. But you will not succeed in destroying me. It didn't work last time. What do you have that Anna didn't that would make this outcome any different?" The color of his eyes and his tone of voice changed slightly as he tried to gain control of me with his mind. "By now your friends will be dead, and what will you do now?"

I then remembered my job as "Dracula distraction" in this little charade and figured that this was the perfect opportunity to start. And I hate to say it, but it was hard for me to put up much of a fight anyway. My nerves were too frazzled, I was too tired. A part of me screamed to look away, shut him out! But another and unfortunately bigger part of me wanted to run into his arms and never have to think or worry ever again. And I was so tired......No!

The battle waging inside of me must have been plain on my face as tears sprang from my eyes. Dracula, seeing that I was weakening, forced a little more of his controlling mind upon me, concentrated a little harder, but, before he took complete control of me, I decided to act like he'd already won. So, the next thing Dracula and I knew, my sword had fallen from my limp hand and I had rushed into his waiting arms. Much of my free will was lost due to mental exhaustion, but I still had some control over my actions. I was still sobbing, being the great actress that I am, and I clung to him, shuddering. Ugh, I can't believe I have to do this! I thought, as Dracula ran a hand lightly up my spine to rest amid my numerous curls.

"There, there, my dear." Dracula whispered, smiling smugly in his supposed triumph over me. "All will be well soon enough." He held on to me, as my sobs quieted, and slowly, we lifted off the floor and, floating, glided out of the room.

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Next chappie will be up soon, I promise, and it's longer than this one so that's good, right? Please review and I'll have chappie 12 up ASAP…only two more chappies to go! It makes me kinda sad…but there could be a sequel depending on what you guys think… Anyway, bye for now!

Gem


	12. Chapter 12 sadly, this is as creative as...

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, no, still no over here. I wish (don't we all?) but no.

A/N: Wow, I loved everyone's reviews! Thanks to all of you! Only one more chappie after this; isn't that sad? Well, I think it's sad, but that could just be the author-part of me speaking. Anyway, here's my responses to all you wonderful people who waste your time reading my story, and then LIKE it! (shakes head) You guys are so weird, lol.

**Luthien Anwamane: **Oh yeah, and Drac's in this one too. But unfortunately, it's not the best of times for him, if you know what I mean. Don't hate me! And I probably will end up writing a sequel cuz people want me to, and really (you'll see in the end) the story's not quite finished! Anyway, I hope you still like this chappie. You'll understand why I said that after you've read it…

**Charlie Quill:** WOW! Your review was the longest I've ever gotten! And thanks for explaining how you felt about my story. I'm SO glad that you like it. I was going to feel all sad if I had my first flame reviewer, but now I don't have to! I'm sorry about the A/N thing…I never really realized how that would be to a reader and you're right. My apologies. But luckily, there aren't anymore of those so no worries. And I'm not going to kick you; how could I kick someone who likes my story so much?! It'd be like a sin! Anyway, your review made me feel all happy and appreciated inside, and I hope you like this chappie too! Enjoy!

**Christine Marquez:** Ha, I love your reviews. Short, sweet, and to the point. Well, I feel like updating, so I am. And I'm glad you liked the chappie.

**Roselynn:** Woah, obsessed with capital letters much? Lol, no I love your reviews…they're so funny! Yeah all men are gullible, and don't we know it?

**Forever Starcrossed:** I'll probably end up doing a sequel so don't have a heart attack when this is over, k? _Phantom_ totally rocks my socks…I'm gonna go to the movies tonight with my mom and friend to see it again. (Grins evilly) Teehee! I'm all excited! And that soundtrack is about all that I've listened to for the past…(counts on fingers) two weeks or so, lol. It's great…I LOVE the Phantom's voice! I would fall in love with him for his voice too! And other than that _slight_ deformity, he was pretty darn cute if I do say so! Anyway, hope you like this chappie!

Again, thank you all for reviewing! And remember to review at the end of this chappie! Not that you ever haven't…lol. Chappie 12!

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1**Chapter 12**

Meanwhile, Van Helsing and Carl had other problems. "AHH!" Carl screamed as the werewolf lunged at them. They were running down one hallway after another with the werewolf right on their heels. "Van Helsing! What are we going to do?! We don't have any silver!" cried Carl.

"Working on it!" Van Helsing responded, as he narrowly missed being snatched up by the werewolf's claws.

"Well, work faster! We can't run forever!" Carl demanded, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Finally, Van Helsing found what he was looking for.

"Quick, in here!" He and Carl ducked into a side room with a large wooden chandelier with numerous lit candles hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh, the chandelier! That'll work!" Carl said as he caught on to Van Helsing's plan. He ran over to where the chandelier rope was tied to the wall and made ready to release it. Just then, the werewolf burst into the room and made for Van Helsing. Carl dropped the chandelier and it fell, lit candles flying everywhere, about two feet in front of the werewolf who had stopped just short of the falling chandelier.

"Strange," Carl commented, "that usually works."

"Never mind that now Carl!" Van Helsing cut in while the werewolf was still slightly stunned, "Run! Out that door!" He pointed to a door at the far end of the room. Carl and Van Helsing tore through the doorway and shut the heavy wooden door behind them just in time to block the werewolf's leap.

"Okay," Van Helsing said, breathing heavily and listening to the werewolf pounding away on the other side of the door, "This door should be thick enough to hold him for a while. Now, we've got to find Andrea!" Carl nodded in agreement and once again, they took off running through another hallway trying to find their way back to the main entrance.

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I was still hovering above the ground and way too close to Dracula for comfort, when we met Van Helsing and Carl back at the main entrance. I had guessed that Dracula was far from finished with them, seeing as how he'd made his way back towards where they were. As soon as Van Helsing caught sight of Dracula and me, his expression almost imperceptibly changed to one of worry. He stared into my eyes, trying to see if I was just acting the part or really under Dracula's spell. His hand moved slowly to his sword, and I moved my hand towards my scabbard (seeming how I'd left my sword back in the other room where I'd dropped it) in the same motion, but much slower so as not to alert Dracula, who still held me. I blinked at Van Helsing and gave him the slightest nod, and the worry cleared from his face. He knew I was just being the oh-so-wonderful "distraction".

At that moment, Dracula opened his mouth to speak and Van Helsing's attention instantly returned to him.

"Gabriel, why don't you just give up? Can't you see I've already won?" That's what you think, I said to myself, but I didn't give any sign that I wasn't really under Dracula's power.

"That's what you think!" Van Helsing growled, as he whipped out one of his tojo blades at lightening speed and spun it at Dracula. The blade hit Dracula in the side making him lose his grip on me, and I fell to the ground when he let go in pain. Dracula let out another ear-splitting shriek as the wound in his side hissed and bubbled with venom. It was harder for him to recover his composure this time, and the wound hardly healed at all. Dracula landed on the ground, looked down at his side, then up at Van Helsing with pure hatred in his eyes.

"Clever." he spat at Van Helsing, barely hiding his rage. Meanwhile, I was lying on the floor where I had been dropped; I wasn't injured, only unsure of what to do next. I was still "under Dracula's control" so I had to think quickly, what would one of Dracula's brides do? Oh yeah, fawn all over Dracula. What _else_ did they do besides that and the occasional back-hand slap? I quickly got to my feet and rushed to Dracula's side.

"Oh, my lord," I crooned, running my hands over his injured side and up towards his face. His arms encircled me as if I was already his and held me protectively, all the while glaring at Van Helsing with this horrid smirk on his face. Gah, I thought, Van Helsing! Save me already! And I could tell that he was trying to; his eyes darted around quickly thinking fast. I couldn't tell what time it was, and that was the key to our plan. Was it close to dawn, or not? I didn't know, but Carl would, I mean, he always knows the answer. How could I get alone with Carl long enough to talk to him? Van Helsing would have to be the distraction this time so I could go talk to Carl, who was of course cowering at the back wall hardly moving. Van Helsing couldn't ask Carl because he had Dracula's full attention, but I was already "under Dracula's spell" and so I wasn't threat to him anymore. Dracula wasn't concerned about me, he was concerned about Van Helsing. Now, how to tell Van Helsing to keep Dracula busy?

This lack of communication thing was really ticking me off. Luckily, Van Helsing realized what I had, or something to the same extent, so he turned to Dracula and said, "Leave Andrea out of this! It's me you want!" I fully expected Dracula to let go of me and fly at Van Helsing all hellbat-ish, which though scary, would be cool to see, but instead Dracula opened his mouth to speak and it looked like we were in for some more of the pointless, traditional banter between the hero and the villain. I could only hope Dracula would reveal something about why I was here, or maybe how to occupy him until sunrise. That would be nice.

"Oh, but Gabriel," Dracula began, "Sadly you are wrong again. It is not you I am after this time. You are simply an added bonus. Andrea really is the one I wanted all along." Well, that made me feel uncomfortable, seeming how according to him he already had me. "You see," he continued, "The Devil told me of her and the threat she posed. I was sent to kill her, and rid the world of Anna's reincarnation, no matter what time she was in, once and for all. Conveniently, she was brought here, and I took such a liking to her that I decided, why not turn her, and make her mine?" As he said this, he took a handful of my curls, brought them up to his face, and inhaled deeply. It was all I could do not to break away from his touch.

"After all," Dracula began speaking again, "She is beautiful, and it would be an ultimate triumph against _God_ to steal His 'secret weapon', if you will, into the everlasting darkness." Dracula said all this without ever breaking eye contact with Van Helsing. It was downright unnerving; I don't think he even blinked. It was very informative however. I now understood many things I'd still had questions about, like how I actually ended up here. I was still not sure why though. But now was no time for worrying about that...I had to speak to Carl alone; we were wasting time, but I didn't know how much more time there was to waste.

Suddenly, Van Helsing said something that did just the trick to get Dracula angry enough to let go of me and attack. "So, that's it then? You think you've won? Well then, I guess I have no choice but to give up and leave...with your ring." He held his hand up to reveal the ring he wore with Dracula's insignia on it. Dracula snarled, baring his fangs.

"Give that back to me!" he shrieked, letting go of me, transforming, and launching himself at Van Helsing. Quickly turning around, Van Helsing sped off towards one of the nearby passages, Dracula in hot pursuit. As soon as they were gone, though I could still hear them, I ran over to Carl.

"Carl!" I whispered furtively.

"Agh!" Carl shouted, clearly terrified of me. "Andrea, d-don't eat me! Please! It's me, C-carl, remember?! Please don't b-bite me or anything!" He kept backing away from me hurriedly, until he hit the wall behind him.

"Carl," I began, "It's just me! I'm fine."

"You mean, you're not under Dracula's spell?"

"No! I was just playing along! You remember our plan."

"Oh, right. The distraction. You had me worried there for a whi–"

"Never mind that now," I interrupted, as I could hear Van Helsing and Dracula's shouts coming closer. "What time is it, Carl?"

"Oh yes. Let's see...it's 5:56."Carl said, taking out an ancient-looking pocket watch and reading the time.

"Good, only a few more minutes until dawn." I looked out the window at the already lightening sky. I could hear Dracula and Van Helsing still fighting; their cries echoed dimly throughout the hall. Suddenly, they burst back through another hallway into the cavernous hall Carl and I were standing in. Van Helsing had his short sword and a tojo blade out and was viciously slashing at the giant bat in front of him. Both Dracula and Van Helsing had some nasty wounds, but Dracula seemed to be getting the worse end of the deal; the venom on Van Helsing's blades left Dracula's wounds open and stinging. Carl and I watched fearfully as Van Helsing slowly maneuvered Dracula closer to the doors of the castle leading outside. When he was close enough, Van Helsing spun around and shoved the doors open, Dracula following him outside into the snow. Then, Dracula looked and saw how close dawn was. With a screech, he made to turn and fly back into the safe confines of his castle. Before he could escape, Van Helsing stabbed his sword through Dracula's wing, pinning him to the ground.

"Now, Andrea!" Van Helsing shouted at me. "Use one of your daggers! Aim for his heart! Quickly!"

I was half-frozen with shock, just watching the scene play out before me. Numbly I thought, but he has no heart. At instant later, my senses returned, probably due to Anna's coolness in hairy situations, and I swiftly grabbed a dagger. But wait! said a voice in my head, what time is it? Is it too early? Too late? I could hear Carl shouting behind me, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. Dracula was still struggling to get free, and I only had a moment. It must be time, the sky seemed light enough. I took aim and threw the dagger with all my might, straight into where Dracula's heart would be. He let out an inhuman shriek, I can still hear it ringing in my ears, and his writhing body slowly turned to dust and was blown away, leaving Van Helsing's sword stuck fast into the snowy ground.

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Oh, it pained me to write it! Poor Dracula! (wails hysterically) But it had to be done. I guess. Anyway, remember, this is not the end! There is one chappie after this; Andrea has to get home, after all, and then a sequel is probably looming in the distance. Hope you liked this chappie even though it's probably the saddest one. Luthien Anwamane, I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me forever! Okay, I'll update soon…the _last chapter_ will be up in a few days. Until then I suppose. And feel free to review and yell at me over anything you didn't like… (Was it a bad idea to say that? I think I just opened the door for something awful… Oh well.) Byes!

Gem


	13. Chapter 13 The End! sob

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I don't own Van Helsing and this is the last time I get to say that!

A/N: Well all you wonderful people out there, this is it. The end. It's really quite sad. But I loved all of your reviews, even though I got a lot of wails about poor Dracula. Things are further explained in this chappie so just bear with me. Unfortunately, this is a super short chappie just wrapping everything up, so it won't take you long to read. Then you can review and tell me how much you want a sequel, lol. And now, I say my good-bye-ish things. (sniff)

**Christine Marquez:** Ah, my faithful reviewer, lol. You've been with me from start to finish and I thank you so much for your comments, advice, and support; they are greatly appreciated. Yes, a sequel is probably on its way, but it might take a while.

**Fox of the Nova:** Of course Van Helsing's okay! No worries. Thanks for your reviews and here I am, updating this story for the last time. Enjoy this final chappie!

**Forever Starcrossed:** You spelled inevitable right as far as I can tell, lol. I saw _Phantom_ again last night and fell in love with him all over again. His voice…I can't get over it, lol. Anyway, thanks for all your great reviews and I'll check out your story as soon as I can, I promise.

**Countess Alana:** Oh, another one of my faithful reviewers! Your reviews were always great, and that last one made me laugh. I've been meaning to check out Phantom fics, so I'll definitely check out the one you recommended. After all, you seem to have such good tastes, lol. Well, my story may be ending, but yours better not be! I'm still gonna yell at you to update all the time, lol, so watch out!

**Luthien Anwamane:** When I posted that last chappie, all I could think to myself is, 'oh no, how can I do this to Luthien!' I'll probably write a sequel, which of course will have Drac because he rocks and is so hot, but I don't know how long it will take to write, so be patient for me please! All your reviews were wonderful, you crazy Vlad-obsessed girl! (We have so much in common, lol.) This last chappie may give you some hope so just hang in there!

**Lady Kathrin:** Yet another faithful reviewer. Yeah, I'm not sure if anyone was expecting that, but oh well. Stories with twists are always more fun, right? Yes, we all mourn the loss of Drac, but wait! This chappie may give you some hope for our poor undead sexy beast, lol. I loved all of your reviews, and I hope you like this last chappie.

**Charlie Quill:** The end is here! It's so sad. Hey, wait a minute! Where did you get a pet Dracula! _I_ want a pet Dracula! Grrr, share! Lol. Thanks for your reviews and a sequel is probably coming so yeah, sure, go ahead and dance, lol.

**Roselynn:** You and your capitals! Your reviews made me laugh…they were great! And I agree, capitals add that little extra vehemence to your words, LOL. I'm glad you love my story and thanks again for your oh-so-wonderful reviews!

Sadly, the last chappie is nearly upon you. I just want to say THANK YOU ALL AGAIN for your reviews! And now, the (drum roll if you please) _Last Chappie_! (Sob!)

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**Chapter 13**

Van Helsing and I looked at each other, breathing heavily. Was that it? Was it finally over? The sun had risen, and I could only hope that Dracula was gone. Van Helsing walked over to his sword and pulled it out of the snow, and Carl came quickly running up behind me. I turned to him, smiling, but his expression quickly wiped the grin off my face.

"No!" Carl said, coming up to Van Helsing and me, "No! Didn't you hear me shouting? You were too early! Andrea, you threw the dagger at him at 6:07!"

"A minute hardly makes a difference, does it?" Van Helsing asked.

"It might!" Carl replied, glancing around with a scared look, as if any moment now Dracula was sure to jump out at him.

"Well, Dracula's gone." Van Helsing said, the relief obvious in his voice. "It must've worked." Carl didn't seem so sure, but at the moment I wasn't thinking about it. I felt a slight tugging at my insides; looking out I could see a bright light brighter than the sun, and I could hear the flutter of wings faintly in my ears...

"I have to go." I said, sounding dazed and not quite myself. Van Helsing and Carl looked at me, then out towards the distant but ever-growing light. Carl understood first.

"Oh," he said softly, "The angels are coming to take you back."

"Back?" Van Helsing asked, slightly confused.

"To her time." Carl responded, "To the future." I turned to them, more like myself now.

"I can say good-bye. I have a few minutes." I turned to Carl first, and smiled.

"Good-bye Andrea." he said awkwardly, "I...I really enjoyed meeting you. We have a lot in common and, well, I'll miss you." Tears started to spring to my eyes.

"Good-bye Carl. I'll miss you too." I hugged him briefly, then I turned to Van Helsing, as Carl began to slowly walk back towards the mirrored door.

We stood in silence for a moment, Van Helsing and I, just looking at each other. "Gabriel..." I whispered, a pleading look in my eyes.

"Andrea..." he whispered back, and leaned in and kissed me. I started to cry; the harmless but insistent tugging at my heart reminding me that I had to leave the man I had grown to love. We broke apart and he held me close, my head on his shoulder.

"How can I go back?" I whispered, "After all this, after all we've been through. How can I leave you, Gabriel? I...I love you." Van Helsing didn't answer me, just held me tighter for a few moments more. Deep down I knew I had to go, as did Van Helsing.

"Here." he said, sliding his ring onto my finger. "Take this. It will be safer with you. And you can do it. You are so strong, Andrea. I will never forget you." He let go of me, and I wanted to say that I would never forget him either, never ever, but I felt myself getting drawn farther and farther away. I looked back at the last second to see two small figures standing on the bridge of a great castle, as the snow fell around them. The last thing I remember hearing was a voice echo softly in my head, "I love you too."...

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**_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_** I gasped and was startled awake by my alarm clock's annoying buzz. My eyes flew open and slowly began to adjust to the semi-darkness of my room. I reached over, groaning, and shut off the alarm, looking at the time. The clock read 6:08. 6:08! Something was supposed to happen at 6:08, something important! What was it! I struggled for a moment, trying to remember.

Then, it all came rushing back to me. I gasped again in remembrance. What a strange and amazing dream! I thought to myself. It had all seemed so real! I rubbed my eyes and made to get up out of bed when I felt something on my finger. What's this? I didn't go to bed with jewelry on. An instant later I remembered. It couldn't be, could it! I launched myself out of bed and sprang to the bathroom, hardly daring to believe it.

I turned on the light and stood there, blinking at the bright light as my eyes readjusted. I looked in the mirror and saw that I had my own PJ's on. I looked down at my hand and gasped, for the third time in as many minutes. There was the ring with Dracula's insignia, taken by Van Helsing so many years ago and now given to me. I stared at it in shock, then thought to myself how absolutely cool it was to have Dracula's ring. Another thought occurred to me and I looked up at my reflection in the mirror again. I tilted my head back slightly and found what I was looking for. There on my neck, were two, small, circular marks, permanent scars, about the size of large pinpricks...

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And there it is. The end. As I'm sure you all guessed _coughLuthiencough_ Drac is NOT really dead. Of course, how could he be? Anyway, since everyone really wants a sequel (me included), one is already in the planning stages. Here's what I've thought up so far: Andrea has Drac's ring. Drac, who is not really dead, comes to the future to get his ring back. Van Helsing and Carl, realizing that Drac is not dead, must also come to the future and battle Drac once more. (And of course meet up with Andrea!) So there's the rough outline. What do you all think? Please review and let me know what you thought of this ending and of my sequel plans. Ha, like you all wouldn't review, lol. And thanks again everyone! (60+ reviews, WOOT!) Oh, and one last thing. Muchas thanks go out again to my bestest ever friend _vanity is my name_ who let me use her log in to post this story for all you loverly and appreciative people! Without her, you wouldn't be able to read this great literary masterpiece, lol. So thank you so much _vanity_! And now, I say goodnight and goodbye. (Hopefully it's a temporary Adieu!)

Lotsa' luff to all,

Your humble author,

Gem


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